Black Heart, Blue Blood
by Mangascribbler
Summary: Assasination after assasination has been occuring around Rin's school. Things begin to get hectic. People start to panic. At around the same time, a mysterious transfer student with silver hair appears in Rin's class. Surely the two couldn't be related?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome, to B.H.B.B, Manga S.'s 5****th**** story as of yet…. For those of you who have read my previous stories, the schedule will continue as usual, and postings will be on Saturdays and Wednesdays IF and ONLY IF my teachers decide that they don't want to maim or kill us by crushing us under piles of home work. Thanks so much for reading!**

**-Manga S.**

Two men stood in the shadow of a red brick building, somewhere around nine o'clock at night. One of the men stood leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette, looking unconcerned as he breathed out the tobacco smoke. The other man was dressed in all black, a sliver mask covering his face, silver hair flowing almost to his waist. He was pressed, back against the wall, in the darkest shade he could find.

The mask was a classic samurai model, one with curved fangs and slits for eyes. The tight black turtleneck covered every inch of skin, hands covered in gloves. One of his gloved hands twitched over the hilt of a long wicked looking dagger. He shifted slightly, causing the slightest of sounds.

The first person turned to investigate, but was unable to do so as a black hand flashed out of the darkness and wound around his neck. He tried to cry out but a second gloved hand covered his mouth. The cigarette was flicked to the ground in a shower of orange sparks and was quickly ground out by a booted foot as the two people grappled together for an instant.

There was a sickening crunch as the masked man brought a knee up sharply in to his opponents back, breaking the spine. A sharp twist of the head shattered the neck, killing the man instantly. He slumped to the ground, and was kicked over by the man in black.

A cry was heard by the tall killer, and he turned his face to the new comer, a young man, perhaps in late high school. He froze as the masked murderer took slow, almost bored steps toward him with the lithe grace of a born hunter. One of the black gloves was tugged off, one finger at a time as the distance between the pair closed. The glove slithered off to reveal long, dagger like claws and pale skin.

A sharp rending sound split the night as the claws tore through the chest of the young man, spraying blood high into the air, causing it to drip down the bricks and form black pools at the feet of the attacker. The dying person gave a pitiful cry before shuddering out his last breath. The masked man gave a grunt of annoyance as he wiped a spot of blood off the silver disguise with his bare hand.

The pounding of many feet approached and the assassin slid back into the gloom. There was no reason to kill any more tonight.

Emotionless gold eyes watched through the slits in the silver mask as a woman screamed over the corpses; as more people arrived and panicked as well; as the police were called and hysterical people herded away.

As the police cars began to pull up the unseen executioner leaped backward into the sky, vanishing into the night. His mission had been successful.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow. Okay, well I got WAY more of a response than I thought I would get with that prologue… Anyways, just wanted to thank you reviewers! It makes me happy to know that you like my writing so much :D Anyways, here is the next chapter…. Enter, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha Iwasaki!**

**()()**

o(")(") Manga S.  


"…. As two more bodies were discovered near the scene of the first and third attack. Authorities are at a loss, seeing as no weapon, finger prints or other evidence has been thus far discovered. The people who have been murdered have no relation to one another, aside from the fact that all of them seemed to have been killed instantly. The deceased are the following: Etsuo Goto, age twenty two, Fujitaka Hiro, age eighteen, Hana Ishikawa, age thirty five…."

Rin Kanada shuddered as more pictures appeared on the screen, as name after name was listed. The only thing the police knew was that it was the same person every time. The places, names, faces, ages, ethnicities, genders, and blood types were all different, but they occurred one after another, at least twice a week, if not faster, and in every kill, the 'mark of the moon' was seen.

In the killing that had happened last night, the crescent moon had been slashed across one of the men's chests', with what seemed to be _claws_. One of the other victims had had the moon carved into his jugular with the tip of a knife. Most often though, the moon was painted in dark blood on the ground, the walls, or the corpse itself.

All the kills were clean, immaculate.

"… demon involvement is suspected, and if you have any information regarding this, please call the hot line on the bottom of the screen." The announcer finished.

Demon involvement was _suspected? _No human could do things that perfectly. Rin glanced at the clock.

"Oh crap!" she yelled, switching off the television, grabbing her bag, and sprinting out the door. She ran full tilt up the street until nearly colliding with a group of four people, in the same uniform as Rin.

"Rin!" cried Miroku, trying to hug her, and more than likely, grope her. Rin dodged swiftly, causing Miroku to nearly trip.

"Knock it off Miroku, that's just annoying." Sango, his girlfriend, complained as she grabbed his arm. Ayame and Kagome bounded forward, each linking arms with Rin.

"Did you see the news report?" Kagome asked with wide, nervous eyes.

"Yeah! If it is a demon, how dare he shame our name!" Ayame yelped, looking equally unnerved. Rin nodded, with a slight shiver.

"I'm kind of scared to go home now! I live alone, so…."

"You should get a dog or cat!" Sango called around Miroku's arm. "I live alone, but I have Kirara with me."

"But I can't afford upkeep!" Rin moaned. By now, the five of them were on the school doorstep. The warning bell went off, and Miroku suddenly froze.

"Dammit! Why does my locker have to be _so _far away from my first class?" He yelled in exasperation, darting through the doors and leaving the girls in his dust.

"You'd better hurry, you know how Tsubaki gets when we're late… hag." Muttered Kagome.

"True, true." Piped Ayame. Sango just rolled her eyes and stopped at her locker.

"See you guys later."

As it turned out, Rin made it to class with seconds to spare. She glanced around the room as if expecting some sign of the fear the recent killings had imparted on her.

_Every thing looks…. So normal!_ She thought to herself. The door creaked open and she gasped despite herself. _Or not._

Two boys walked through the door after Tsubaki, just as alike as they were strangely different.

One was tall, pushing seven feet, but slim and incredibly lean, with pale skin and magenta marks on his face and arms, as well as a blue crescent moon cresting his forehead. His pointed ears marked him as a demon.

The other was shorter, and of a slightly stockier build. Heavier eye brows, wider, wilder, eyes, and the odd addition of dog ears gave him a meaner, more temperamental look. A half-breed, then.

Their similarities were in their gold eyes and silver hair, the shared nose proving them to be related in some way. They were both dressed in the boy's uniform, a white button up polo with a black tie and matching slacks.

The taller of the two had a silver choker around his neck, marked with an odd, shimmering symbol. The shorter and seemingly younger boy wore a red leather necklace on the end of which hung a sizeable fang.

"These are the new transfer students, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru Iwasaki. I expect you to treat them well. Inuyasha, you may go to your assigned class now. Sesshomaru, you may have that empty seat beside Ms. Kanada." Tsubaki announced.

Rin stiffened as two sets of amber eyes turned on her. One indifferent, and one so cold it felt as though the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.

Sesshomaru looked back at Inuyasha. "Goodbye, abomination." He said smoothly.

"Yeah, later bastard." Inuyasha called over his shoulder as he walked out of the room with his hands in his pockets.

"Seems they don't like each other very much." Murmured Ayame.

"As you say, wolf. My brother and I detest each other." Sesshomaru replied, startling Rin, who hadn't noticed that he was already at his desk.

"This 'wolf' has a name, you jerk. It's Ayame."

"If I ever care to remember that, I'll let you know." He said flatly. Ayame stared at him, incensed, and opened her mouth to say more. At that moment, however, Tsubaki slapped a ruler down on the desk up front and declared that we would be having a pop quiz.

A universal groan filled the air along with the shuffling of papers. Rin tried desperately to remember her biology formulas. All she could remember was that to transcribe RNA off of DNA you first needed to find the start and stop codon that was usually located close to the TATA box… or was it closer to the promoter region? Was adenine supposed to attach to thymine or urasil…? She couldn't remember. (A/N: Ha ha, actually, bio is my best subject… and English :D)

Dreaded silence filled the room as Tsubaki _scrtich-scritch_ed away on papers with her red pen of doom. After about ten minutes Tsubaki stood with a swish of her black skirt and began passing back papers.

Rin Kanada: 67%

Ayame Soseki: 83%

Sesshomaru Iwasaki: 100%

"I will have you know, class, that the transfer student was the only one to get a perfect score. I find this highly disappointing. Your grades will suffer because of this." The white haired witch proclaimed. Sesshomaru was receiving some dirty looks, but he seemed either oblivious or unconcerned about this. Rin was tempted to go with the latter.

The bell rang, and everyone stood… except Sesshomaru. Rin looked at him as he simply stared off into space.

"H-hey… the bell rang." She stuttered nervously.

"Hn…? Oh. I see." He rose, but walked with just the slightest trace of uncertainty. Rin's older brother had been the same. She had seen _that _look before. The one that spelled out, 'Really, I have _no _clue what I'm doing, but I'm going to _act _like I do because I'm a _man_ and refuse to ask for help.'

"You don't know where your classes are… do you?"

"Not really. I can handle it though. Don't trouble yourself."

"O-oh… well, alrigh-."

"Kanada! You are assigned to help Iwasaki around the school for the week. Your classes are all with him, so it should be fine." Tsubaki yelled over her shoulder.

Rin and Sesshomaru stared at her, and then at each other. Then Sesshomaru turned and walked away.

"Hey!" Rin cried, tailing after him. Someone suddenly tapped on her shoulder, and she turned to see Inuyasha standing there with Kagome and Miroku.

"Sorry, but could we get by…?" he asked with the barest hint of nervousness in his voice. Rin smiled and moved a bit to the left, waiting for them to pass. Kagome tripped, and grabbed Inuyasha's hand to catch her balance. He didn't seem to mind though.

Sesshomaru caught sight of this, and his blank face twisted in a sneer.

"Inuyasha, you already found a woman I see… a human none the less. You should make better choices."

"Shut the hell up." His brother growled irritably, shoving past and pulling Kagome with him. Miroku tried to touch Rin's butt _again_, but one glare for Sesshomaru and he scurried off.

"You… don't like humans?" she guessed.

"I certainly have no love of them. But I hate liars the most."

"I see…" she murmured. Rin thought he was really attractive, despite his… cold demeanor.

_But obviously I'm human,_ she thought, _and any relationship between he and I would be one of contempt at the most. He's a powerful demon, and what am I? I'm short, A-cup little girl with black hair and brown eyes. Absolutely _nothing _to make me stand out. _

"Unfortunately, saying that makes me a hypocrite…" he sighed to himself. Rin caught a brief flash of deep rage mingled with pain in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked. Sesshomaru looked at her, golden eyes empty once more.

"No, nothing. Where is our next class, Kanada?" He queried.

"You can just call me Rin." Rin murmured embarrassedly.

"Fine. Where is our next class, _Rin_?"

XxXxXxX

Night had fallen again. Again the black-and –silver shadow began to hunt his prey. He pulled the picture from his pocket and glanced it over. A woman this time. A _young _woman.

A voice swore from behind the mask, sounding hollow as it re-echoed around the metal. How he hated killing the women. It made his guilt trip just _that _much worse.

But a job was a job.

And his job had to be done.

At anycost.

He slunk through the alley ways, sniffing out his quarry. He finally caught her trail, winding up a hill to a richly decorated mansion that stood alone, in a semi-rural area. Perfect.

No one would hear her if she screamed.

He crept under her bushes, peering through the window, seeing his own silver reflection staring back at him.

Silver face, golden eyes.

Oh, how he hated that mask.

That constant reminder of his sins, past, present, and future.

But a job was a job.

And his job had to be done.

At _any _cost.

He slunk out from under the brush, testing the window. It was unlocked. What a stupid woman she must be. The window rattled slightly as the masked killer opened it and skulked in, dropping to the floor without a sound. He listened intently for any sound.

"…yeah. Yeah. Okay, fine. You're coming over at noon tomorrow, right? Kay. Yeah. Love you too. Bye." Said a woman's voice from upstairs. She was on the phone? Good. She hadn't heard him come in.

Climbing the spiral stairs noiselessly, the silver mask sent gleams of moonlight sparkling into the empty space. The killer's heart thrummed in his chest.

He may not enjoy killing needlessly, but while it lasted, he loved the thrill of the hunt.

The girl was in her room it seemed, humming loudly to herself and walking about. Perhaps dancing. Her footsteps were rather erratic.

He had already confirmed there was no one else in the house. Why not go out with a bang? Rather than opening the door, he blew it to pieces with his fist. There was a shriek that hurt his ears as the girl fell back.

She glanced at his gleaming features and screamed again. It pained him to listen.

He killed her for that.

He hated it. That guilt that come after. The thought that maybe she had someone to care for her. Maybe she was the one who _cared. _It didn't matter. It was over, and her heart had stopped.

He bent over and dipped his fingers in her blood, approaching the white wall and began to paint.

XxXxXxXxX

The next morning the police were called by a hysterical mother. Her daughter had been found dead in her room. The mark of the moon was there. And directly below it?

_She makes twenty- six. How many more must I kill before he is satisfied? _


	3. Chapter 3

Rin rose early the next morning to watch the news, just as she did every morning. Another attack had taken place. The victims never survived, so no one knew who, or _what _the suspect was.

A young woman by the name of Fuu Aikimi had been murdered in her bedroom, with a note written there as well. 'She makes 26. How many more must I kill before he is satisfied?' it had said.

Rin walked briskly to school, arriving earlier than any of her friends. The halls were empty, and her footsteps echoed loudly on the tile. She entered her classroom, and finding it empty as well, she sat at her desk and began to organize her school bag.

The slightest of sighs alerted her to another presence. A muffled exhalation of pain.

Rin whipped around to find Sesshomaru sitting on the windowsill in the corner, staring out at the trees. It would have been a peaceful enough image aside from the fact that he was fingering his choker as a thin stream of blood trickled from underneath.

He gave a muted curse and wiped the blood off, but not before it trailed into his collar.

"Sesshomaru?" Rin asked in concern. Sesshomaru glanced over from the window. His eyes were strained, though Rin could tell he was trying not to show any tension.

"Good morning, Rin." He greeted distractedly.

"Are you okay…?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't trouble yourself over it." He responded, much like he had yesterday.

"Well, if you're sure…"

"Hiya Rin!" Ayame called, bouncing into the room. Sesshomaru turned back toward the window. Ayame looked askance at him, as if he wasn't worth her time.

"Morning, _dog-breath_." She shot at him.

"Hello…" he sighed again. The blood on his hand was beginning to dry, but he took no notice.

"Do I smell… blood?" Ayame queried, sniffing the air. "_Dog _blood?" She twisted to see Sesshomaru. He looked balefully at her with his amber eyes. Her emerald ones traveled from the blood encrusted choker where fresh blood was already welling, to his slightly red-stained shirt, to his hand, where the old blood still rested in a semi-congealed state.

"What the hell?" she cried. "Shouldn't take that damn thing off? It's cutting into your skin!"

"No." he growled, narrowing his eyes.

"Huh?"

"I won't take it off."

"Masochistic freak!"

"Annoying, prying, nosy, wolf." He snarled at her, rising to his feet. It seemed his tension was breaking through now. He towered over Ayame's five foot four frame in his anger. More people walked in; Koga and Juromaru meandered inside, Juromaru wearing his iron mask as always, and Koga edging away from him with little progress. Koga had always found Juromaru unnerving.

"Kogaaaaaaaa!" Ayame whined, "The transfer student is being mean to meeeee!"

"Don't give a damn, Ayame." He rolled his eyes as he said this. Koga and Ayame were boyfriend and girlfriend, but you could never tell. They acted like an old married couple with their squabbles.

"Tch." Sesshomaru snorted, stalking out of the room. The instant he left, it was like a palpable cloud of stress had gone with him. Rin rose from her seat to go after him. After all, it was her duty to help him around the school, right?

XxXxXxXx

The instant Sesshomaru was out in the hall, he sagged against the wall, releasing a slow breath.

_Punishment. Punishment from the master. I did something that could have given him away._

_Pain. Is that his only tool?_

_Pain won't hold me down for long. _

_He'll regret the day he enslaved me. _

"Sesshomaru?"

_That Rin girl again…._

"Are you okay?" she sounded worried. He felt bound to make some reply to her, but his own voice sounded strange to him. Maybe his cover was slipping.

He was Sesshomaru. Infallible. His cover was fine.

"Yes. I'm alright."

"Do you think you should go to the nurse?" she pried further. If he went to the nurse, she would ask him to take off the choker. A physical impossibility.

"No. I was just going to wash off… I'll be back in a moment." Of course he would be back.

His cover depended on conforming to everyone else's routine.

XxXxXxXx

The day passed slowly, with Rin seeing little to none of her friends. She saw only Sesshomaru, leading him through the confusing maze of halls, lockers, and classrooms. He had stopped bleeding some while back, but still seemed to be some deal of discomfort.

Rin didn't bring it up. He was able to take care of himself. He probably wouldn't appreciate it if she tried to delve into his business.

The final bell rang, and though he had no obligation to stay with her any more, Sesshomaru walked down to the front doors with Rin.

_Perhaps it's because he doesn't know anyone else…?_ Rin wondered. She halted at the front doors, cocking her head. Had someone called her?

"Inuyasha's woman. She called your name." Sesshomaru said flatly.

"Riiiiiiiin!" The cry was clearer now. Rin smiled as Kagome sprinted out the doors and practically tackled her into a bear hug. "I haven't seen you _all day_! Sango and Miroku have cleaning duty, and Ayame has a make-up test, so they said to leave ahead of us."

"Well, all right. If they're busy, we can go home." Rin and Kagome started walking. Sesshomaru followed.

"Is he stalking us… who is that guy anyways?" Kagome murmured in Rin's ear. Sesshomaru's gaze sharpened as he narrowed his golden eyes at Kagome.

"My name is Sesshomaru. My house is in this direction. So I am walking home. And also, one might expect you to be grateful. My presence nearly guarantees that you won't be attacked by whoever has been killing so recently." He explained shortly. Kagome gazed nervously at him.

"Whatever. Everyone knows he only attacks at night."

"Just because he has until now doesn't mean he can't change his habits." Sesshomaru warned. Kagome remained quiet. As long as Sesshomaru was there, there would be no conversation. He didn't seem to mind the silence at all. Indeed, he reveled in it.

After several minutes, they came to an intersection. Rin and Kagome went one way, Sesshomaru another, with no words of parting between them.

The second he was out of sight, Kagome released a long, pent up breath.

"He is so _scary!_" she squealed.

"Really? I don't think so." Rin replied uncomfortably. Only two days after meeting him, she had a crush. And Rin wasn't really one of those girls who changed their affections every two weeks.

"His eyes… they're so cold and angry! Like he's completely different from us!"

"Well, he _is _a demon, so he probably is very different from us. I would think so."

"Inuyasha says things about him." Kagome said more quietly. Rin stared at her, waiting. She didn't continue, so Rin was forced to prompt her.

"Like what?"

"Like how he would trade his own mother for a bowl of soup."

"Uh, right." Rin said skeptically.

"It's true!" Kagome cried.

"You can't know that! You don't know him at all!" Rin shot back.

"Like _you _do! You've only known him for two days!" Kagome accused.

"S-so? They same could be said of you and Inuyasha!"

"Whatever Rin." Kagome growled. "I don't like him."

"No one said you had to!"

The pair parted on ill terms that night, and as Rin walked home in the afternoon light, she muttered furiously to herself.

"Ha! Like Kagome could make accusations… he's just stressed. Sesshomaru isn't a bad guy." Rin suddenly stiffened. She may not be demon, but she knew when she was being watched.

She turned quickly to look left and right, catching a glint of silver out of the corner of her eye.

But when she looked, nothing was there.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Ah, you're back, my silver and black pet!" Naraku cried jovially as the door to the secret room slid open, admitting the silver masked man.

"I told you not to call me that…" who-ever-it-was growled in annoyance.

"Unfortunately for you, _slave _I can call you whatever I want." He said, darkening his tone with the underlying threat. The silver face bowed in recognition of his position. "Good. I have new orders for you."

"But I just returned from a job last night."

"I don't care. People are already becoming complacent… We're going to change your attack patterns. You'll go now." Naraku commanded.

"It's daylight." The black clad man said in some confusion.

"Exactly." Naraku replied, his eyes boring holes in his companion.

"How can I hunt in the daylight? My black will contrast."

"Just don't get seen. Your prey is a demon this time, so it won't matter if it's night or day. They'll notice you coming."

"Upper class demon? Or lower? I will need to be prepared." He queried dully, in no way eager to accomplish his work.

"Middle class. An upper class like you should have no trouble with the likes of him. He's been indebted to me for too long with too few results. You'll eliminate him."

"Yes, _master_." Came the slightly sarcastic reply. Naraku glared at him, and he stared back until Naraku looked away.

"Here, a picture, his scent, and an array of weapons for you to choose from. Remember what happens if you fail. It's not only your life on the line."

"I remember. I will not fail." He responded hollowly, checking the scent and picture. The picture was of an old man, his mane of tawny hair half covering yellow eyes. On the back of the picture was scribbled 'Miro Tatagami'. "A lion demon, then?" he said to himself.

He walked over to the array of weapons. Knives, venom darts, muffled guns, nooses, hammers… the whole enchilada. He turned his back on the table. Tonight, he fought with his own weapons.

He leapt up onto the roofs of the buildings, running swiftly, leaping lightly, landing softly. Sprinting above the heads of all, he felt as though he had been given wings. He felt free.

He snorted to himself. Free? He would never be _free_. Freedom was a thing of the past.

At least he was getting used to his job now. Killing wasn't so bad. Actually, he had enjoyed it from the beginning. He resisted it simply to spite Naraku. What was the point in resisting now?

There wasn't one.

He dashed over the roof tops, and happened to glance down. A girl!

She turned swiftly enough to see him.

Damn.

He ran faster still, hoping she hadn't noticed anything with her weak, human eyes. He knew that girl. But like this, she wouldn't know him.

He found his quarry in his home; a small house in the center of town. He crouched on the roof, moving like a squirrel over the shingles. A slight bit of pressure he broke the lock on window, slipping inside.

He heaved a sigh once in. This is another thing he hated about his 'black' self. He could never enter through a front door.

The lion demon was leaning in his chair, smoking his pipe in the corner.

"Knew you'd come." He said gruffly. "We both know you can take that mask off. I already know you."

"Watchers. People outside. They'll see me. The mask stays." He gritted out. Now that his prey was so close, it was hard to restrain himself. Naraku's control was exceptionally strong today. He would have to do something about that later.

"Suit yourself boy. I'm not going down without a fight though." In response, he simply lunged forward, claws tearing down Miro Tategami's arm. The lion snarled, and slashed with his own claws, missing the neck, but scoring his left wrist.

Pain seared through him, cutting off coherent thought.

Still staying completely silent, he darted forward again, fast. Faster than light. Faster than sound. Faster than Miro Tategami.

His clawed hand punched through the other man's chest, spraying crimson into the air so that if fell in a cherry-colored rain.

Miro Tategami fell. Never again would he rise.

When his mind returned it was over. The lion lay curled at his feet, blood washing over his shoes.

His arm dangled limply at his side.

"Damn." He sighed again. "This will certainly complicate things."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey hey people! Thakns so much for all of your super-encouraging reviews! I'm fairly certain everyone knows who our Silver-masked friend is by now… Just in case you didn't, it says his name in this chapter, specifically addressing him… Don't forget to review, thanks for reading!**

**-Manga S.**

The third day. Only the _third day, _and already Sesshomaru had ensured that he had a 'bubble of isolation' surrounding his person.

. His perfect grades made him the envy of all… but Rin. His cold demeanor was toward everyone… but Rin. Rin was the only one he called by name, and the only one he spoke with willingly. The conversations weren't very deep. Usually only a question about school or work.

But it was a conversation none the less…

Rin smiled to herself as Sesshomaru approached her. Wednesdays were study hall days, basically a period of free time. In the back of the room a large group played cards. In another corner a gaggle of hysterical girls chattered about boy problems, and at the desks, a handful of hard core studiers. And then there was Sesshomaru.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked in his usual level tone.

"Oh, it's…. nothing." Rin said, not dropping her smile.

"I see." Sesshomaru sat at the desk beside her. "Why are you always so happy?"

"Huh?" Rin noticed that his neck didn't seem to be bleeding or injured in any way. "I don't know. I guess I'm just like that!" Her smile widened.

"I suppose some people are like that. It just seems that-ah…!" A particularly rowdy class mate had been engaged in a playful shoving match nearby. Finally having lost, he fell against the desk that Sesshomaru was at… crushing Sesshomaru's lower arm.

Even with her weak human ears Rin could hear the tearing sound that emanated from his arm. Sesshomaru's eyes widened in agony as his long sleeved white shirt was stained crimson at the wrist. He pulled his arm close to him, his hand dangling uselessly.

The other boy turned, eyes wide and fearful. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, what…" he babbled as he reached toward Sesshomaru. The room was silent, the only sound being the slightly ragged breathing of Sesshomaru and the chattered apologies of the human boy.

"Don't touch me!" snapped Sesshomaru. The boy jerked his hand back as if bitten as Sesshomaru pulled back his blood soaked sleeve. Rin choked at the sight of his wrist and fore arm.

Stitches had obviously held the flesh together at one point, but the sudden impact had torn the furrows open again. Severed muscle and tendons pulsed and more blood seeped out over the lips of the wounds.

There were noises of disgust all around the room, and the boy who had torn the stitches gagged.

"I'm… so sorry man!" he cried.

"It's fine." Sesshomaru said quietly. He pulled out a wad of bandages from his pocket and began dressing the wounds with one hand. The room remained silent as everyone watched. Rin caught whispered conversations.

"Where did he learn how do that….. what happened to his arm… why isn't he angry…?"

"Rin, hand me a staple, will you?" He requested. Rin snatched up her stapler and pulled out a single staple. Sesshomaru bent the edges and hooked it in the tight bandages.

He flexed his hand with a slight grimace before announcing, "It's fine now. I apologize for any interruptions." And pulling out a book titled 'The Kings of Clonemel' and reading avidly. The chatter rose up in volume after a brief pause.

"Sesshomaru!" Rin cried in shock.

"Hn?" he replied without looking up from his text.

"What happened to your arm?" He raised his head from his pages and looked at her in surprise. Rin had learned over the past two days that Sesshomaru _did _show emotion. You just had to look closely at his eyes to see it.

"Nothing really."

"Why do you always say that? 'I'm fine', 'Don't trouble yourself', 'It's nothing'… it's obviously something!"

"Well… I don't really _know _you, now do I?" He said in a slightly disgruntled tone. Rin bit her lip. It was true. He really _didn't _know her. And she didn't know him. She mentally berated herself for thinking otherwise.

XxXxXxX

After school, Sesshomaru walked back a ways with Rin, alone this time. Kagome had refused to walk with her if he was there, and gone another way.

"Ahhhh…" Sesshomaru sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "That was a bit embarrassing this morning, don't you think?" Rin gave a slight start. This was the first time he had really asked her opinion on anything.

"Huh? Why would it be embarrassing?"

"Oh, well… everyone was looking on… I don't like it when people see me in pain. It makes me look weak. That wasn't bad though. I've had worse."

"Worse? What, was your arm, like, chopped off?"

"Pretty close…" he mumbled.

"You scare me some times." She said simply.

"I think I scare most people… all the time." He sighed. Rin stared at him.

"I thought you _liked _being alone."

"That's debatable." Was his only, exceedingly confusing reply. They parted ways at the intersection again, Sesshomaru giving a small wave to Rin from across the street. She smiled and waved back.

She hated to think like this, in case she was dead wrong, but maybe she was special. After all, she had never seen Sesshomaru acknowledge anyone else in the school like he acknowledged her. It was only the third day, she reminded herself.

Three days isn't enough to know anyone.

XxXxXxX

Naraku turned to see his silver slave kneeling before him, and gave a grim smile. Walking forward, he tipped the other man's face up, red eyes meeting gold in the shadowed half-light.

"Take off the mask, Sesshomaru. I want to see your face for once." He requested. The pale hand rose, and tugged off the silver guise, revealing an equally pale face.

"Do I have a job?" He gritted out. How he hated Naraku. How he longed to be free.

"Oh yes… but first… a little reminder." Naraku opened his hand. The skin there distorted, after a moment, mirroring the mark on Sesshomaru's choker. "Collar of Cerberus," he whispered, "rejection."

Sesshomaru refused to show weakness. He refused to cry out. His will was as steel, but he couldn't help his ingrained reaction. His silver collar tightened minimally. This wasn't the painful part.

_Here is comes._

_ Punishment for getting injured._

_ Punishment for the note on the wall._

_ Punishment for making a 'friend'._

_ A killer like me shouldn't have 'friends'._

Sesshomaru gave a silent, choking cry as the collar grew spikes on the inside, burrowing into his flesh, draining his will. Just when he thought his mind would break, his soul shatter, his body keel over and die, it ended.

"Collar of Cerberus, release. Rise, my personal hell hound. You have work yet."

Sesshomaru took to his feet, all signs of pain gone from his face. He refused to let Naraku know how much it hurt. "What is it?"

"Human today. Do with him as you like." Naraku commanded. Sesshomaru approached the weapons table again. He saw what seemed to be an empty syringe.

"What the hell is this?"

"A syringe, you stupid dog."

"I _know _what it _is_. How am I supposed to kill anyone, even a human, with _this, _short of shoving it down their throat?" Sesshomaru growled. Naraku's influence on his mind was growing harder to resist as the days went by. How many days had he been imprisoned?

He had lost count.

"Your claws have venom. If you don't want to get your hands dirty, place your venom in the syringe, and inject the human. They'll die quickly enough." Sesshomaru pocketed the syringe, and picked his mask up off the floor.

"I'll be going then. Anything else?"

"Yeah. You're looking for a man called Rikichi Uta."

"Got it. I'll be back."

"You'd better be. Or you-know-who will find themselves at the gates of hell before the week is out." Naraku's maniacal laughter followed Sesshomaru out the door.

Oh how he yearned for the sweet taste of freedom.

Oh how he longed for Naraku's taint to be out of his mind.

It was not to be. Sesshomaru walked away from the door, slinking through the gathering shadows. His twenty-eighth kill, Rikichi Uta. His mind kept track of every face, every name, which he had ever taken from earth.

He found his prey as he always did, by scent. Following the thread of smell, he saw the man, like so many others, at home.

Sesshomaru sniffed about some more behind his silver mask. There were three more people in the house. A woman and two young children.

He didn't want to involve them. Good thing he brought the syringe. Things would be much less noisy that way.

Sesshomaru was in luck. The man was alone in his office on the top floor. At least he would be able to leave the other people alone.

Slipping off one of his gloves, he inserted a single claw in the base of the needle and allowed his venom to flow into the glass tube. The demon poison glowed a faint, acidic green as he pocketed it.

He leapt up to the open window when Rikichi had his back to it. Landing as silently as an owl, he removed the syringe, plunged the needle into the man's flesh, injected the poison into his arm, and removed it before he even had time to turn.

He clasped his arm with a small cry and whipped around to see Sesshomaru standing by the window. Extending a single, toxin drenched claw, he traced a moon onto the Rikichi's forehead.

The man fell into his chair, his legs already weakening. "W-why…?" he stuttered.

"Because I have no choice." Sesshomaru spat bitterly.

"Tell me! Maybe I can help you!" he cried desperately.

"Help me?" Sesshomaru whispered. "_Help _me? No one can help me. But you have some time left before my venom hits your heart. I will tell you, I suppose. You're going to die, so it wouldn't hurt…" he seemed to be trying to convince himself, rather than Rikichi. He suddenly pulled up a chair.

"You're… going to speak to me?" Rikichi asked in trembling tones.

"It will be interesting. I've never had a chance to speak to a victim before. I should warn you though… one attempt to draw attention to yourself, one try at escape, and everyone downstairs dies."

"I understand." What a brave man, Sesshomaru thought. So willing to converse with a killer. "So… why _do _you kill?" he sounded genuinely interested. Sesshomaru shrugged. Maybe he just wanted to know exactly why he was dying.

"Like I said, I have no choice. If I don't do exactly as he says… if I don't exactly as he says…."

"What? If you don't do what _who _says, what will happen?"

"Did you know that my father is dead?" Rikichi simply stared, wondering at the sudden change of subject. "He gave me his final wish you know. He always loved himmore than me." There was a pause. "My brother, I mean. His parting words before he died were, 'promise me you'll protect your brother at any cost.' I promised. He left and never came back."

"What does this have to do with…."

"_He _found out. My master uses it to enslave me. Even if my father never loved me…. I never could stand to disappoint him. I only wanted to please him. Let him know that I _wasn't _a useless copy of my worthless mother. I never thought he would go so far as to make me kill."

"So you kill for your family?" Rikichi asked tentatively.

"Not only that." Sesshomaru reached up, and for a moment, Rikichi thought he might remove his mask. However, he simply tugged his shirt out of the way to reveal the warped, blood-encrusted piece of metal around his neck. "There's this too. A form of mind control I guess." Another pause. "I sharpens my natural instincts and makes it easier to kill, harder to hold back…. But why am I telling _you _this?"

"You seem so sad… and your circumstances are so hard. If I were you, I would do the same thing." Sesshomaru lowered his eyes. He wanted so desperately to tell someone, _anyone _his story. He had now. If anything, it made him feel angrier with fate.

"…Would you?"

"Yes. If anyone were-" Sesshomaru stood, and leaped backward out of the window. Rikichi looked after him in confusion. His wife walked in an instant later, and he remembered the danger she was in.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked as she set a plate of food on his desk.

"A friend of mine called. He needed advice."

"You're so kind to give it to him dear. Come down when you're ready for dessert! Yumi made cookies before dinner."

"Of course dear. I'll only be a moment." His wife closed the door, and the silver shadow slid back in.

"I'm not your friend." He asserted.

"You might not be my friend… but I… am yours. You sound like… you could use one…" Rikichi coughed. He died with a small smile on his lips, resting his head on his cherry oak desk.

Sesshomaru wondered what it was like, to have a loving family. A mother who cared, a father who didn't show favoritism, a brother who knew what one did for them.

Sesshomaru took a sticky note from the shelf, and wrote a short message.

_I'm sorry._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hay people! I'm just going to express my gratitude (again) to all you people reading this… cause I love my readers… especially those who review (hint hint). However, with my last story, Knock Out, I fulfilled my dream of reaching 100 reviews, so I won't be desperately begging you guys to review… but it **_**is **_**nice to see what you guys have to say.**

** Im'ma shut up now, cause you guys are probably like, 'What the heck, can **_**read **_**the **_**chapter **_**now?' so…. Yeah. Here is your chapter XD**

Several weeks went by. Despite the fact that Rin was no longer assigned to follow Sesshomaru and help him out, and he had no reason to be with her, he trailed after her. When her other friends were around, he skulked in the background, lurking just out of sight in everyone's peripheral vision. But when he and Rin were alone, he truly opened himself up to her.

Rin had a theory. This theory involved a small fantasy about Sesshomaru's childhood where he was a lonely little boy who was slowly isolated by higher intelligence and strength.

Rin had another theory. This theory involved herself, with Sesshomaru on the side. Her fear was growing stronger by the day, as more and more murders presented themselves. Demons, humans, men, women… death by hanging, stabbing, poisoning… and the same mark, everywhere. However, at school, when she was with Sesshomaru, she forgot her fears.

When he left her at that intersection, her fear came rushing back to her like a wave onto a tiny pebble that had been stranded on the shores of safety. It was one such day, after school again. Sesshomaru was speaking in his stoic way, but for him, he was practically rambling. Something that truly interested Sesshomaru was ancient history. A simple reference was all it took to set him off.

Rin smiled at that look that captured his eyes when he spoke of things such as feudal Japan and their dynasties.

"… and then in the Kofun period, the Japanese war lords began to form armies to destroy each other, so that…"

"Hey Sesshomaru?"

"Err, yes?"

"Well… I haven't admitted this to anyone else… but I'm scared. Really scared."

"Scared? Of what, exactly?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows. Rin cast her eyes to the floor.

"That… that man. The one who kills and leaves the mark of the moon everywhere. I'm afraid I'll be next. Because I live alone, I mean."

"You won't be next." He said confidently. Rin looked up.

"How can you be sure?"

"Oh, um… I was just guessing. Even if you were next, I wouldn't let that bastard take you." Rin gave a worried smile. His slight hesitation made her think that maybe he knew something, but she didn't pry. If he wanted to tell her, he would.

"I'm glad to hear that. I can trust you."

"No, you can't." he said coldly, his voice suddenly becoming sharp. She stared at him. That was the coldest he had spoken to here since their first meeting. It was nearly a month and a half later and he was speaking to her like that again. Without her realizing it, she had stopped at the intersection.

"Goodbye, Rin." He said with an apologetic look. He never smiled. Rin's goal in life now was to make him smile, one way, or another. She froze up now, not wanting him to leave. But too late did she realize, for he was already gone.

Rin's lip trembled as the mortal fear she felt swirled around her and made her want to lay down and cry right there. But she had to push on. She couldn't stop here.

She turned the corner, plunging into deep shadow. It was early November now; the days shorter and nights longer, the wind hard and chilled, and the shadows… the shadows seemed to be so icy and deep that they were like water.

She walked further, past such black side alleys that simply passing sent chills down her spine. The chills weren't merely from cold. She was being watched.

A hand shot from one of the alleys, covering her mouth and dragging her back. She bit down on the hand that stopped her from crying out for help, but encountered a leather glove.

She saw a man. The one holding her held her arms back and her mouth closed laughed as the other man approached with a knife.

What could they hope to gain?

XxXxXxXxX

Sesshomaru entered the hidden room yet again. He hadn't had a job in weeks. He was enjoying the break, but was suspicious. Why wasn't Naraku as active as before?

"Sesshomaru." He said with a nod before turning back to his computer. He seemed to be researching someone.

"This will be your next victim…." He mumbled, knowing Sesshomaru could hear. Sesshomaru tugged his freshly washed shirt over his head, straightening the sleeves and replacing his mask. He took a brief look at the demon on the screen before selecting a knife from the table and walking back toward the door.

"Wait." Naraku commanded, and Sesshomaru was compelled to halt.

"Yes?"

"This is an upper class demon. I have no doubt that you could take him, but I need to do a bit more research…. Hit someone else today. Let's see…. He should be fine."

Another picture popped up of an old man. A human man.

"An easy kill." Grunted Sesshomaru.

"Yes, but you'll need to reserve your strength for the beauty you'll be getting tomorrow. You may go."

Sesshomaru exited and took a network of back alleys. The shadows were dense. They hid him.

They enfolded him in a mother's embrace.

The darkness was Sesshomaru's friend.

How could he love this darkness when he hated the darkness in his own heart?

Perhaps they were a different kind of shadow all together.

Sesshomaru smiled grimly. The public had given him a criminal name now; he had seen it on the news.

'Shinobikage'

The Silent Shadow. (A/N: More specifically 'The Silent Assassin's Shadow')

He slunk through the heavy shade, savoring the fact that no one could see him here. He passes by another alley and stopped dead, just beyond it.

Rin.

And two men. He listened.

"I'm gonna rape you girly… and you're gonna like it. You won't scream or cry, unless you want me to take this knife and shove it down your throat. Got it?" came a gravelly voice.

Sesshomaru froze like a statue of ice. He could hear Rin's rapid breath, smell her fear. He leapt up onto the roof. No one did that to Rin.

Not to his only friend. The one who didn't ask questions when unnecessary, and trusted him, even though he was the last person on earth or in hell to deserve it.

He saw the man begin to tear at Rin's uniform while the other held her.

They wouldn't get away unscathed for this.

In fact, they wouldn't get away at all.

Sesshomaru dropped down behind the man with the knife. Rin saw him, and her eyes widened with nameless fear. She began to squirm and squeak as she say Sesshomaru raise his fist.

"Shut up!" the man cried, slapping her across the face. Horrified tears streamed down her face as she spotted the white moon mark on the silver mask. Sesshomaru emitted a low growl. People who hurt Rin would be punished in the extreme.

At that moment, it was as if Naraku's control didn't exist.

Sesshomaru plunged his hand through the first man's chest, spraying blood all over, some of it spattering Rin. Grabbing the knife out of the corpses' hand before it even hit the ground, he drew back and threw. Rin ducked with a scream, but there was no need. Sesshomaru hit his mark.

With a heavy _thwock_ the heavy knife blade struck the man between the eyes. He release Rin, and fell to the ground, stone dead. Sesshomaru stood there for a moment, staring at Rin. She was in shock, simply gazing blankly at him. He stooped and painted the 'mark of the moon' on the wall.

Rin came to life, hyperventilating as he turned to face her again. All she could see was that silver face with those strange, hypnotic, seemingly familiar gold eyes.

She had no defense against this killing machine. Why her? Was she rescued just so another could have the pleasure of killing her?

She wouldn't stand for it. Picking up the first thing that came to hand, in this case, a large rock, she hurled it full force at the black attacker who seemed to be made of shadow doubled in upon its self.

He simply stood and allowed the rock to strike him with a heavy thud. A sharp part of the rock cut the tiny part of flesh showing beneath the mask. He made no move for a moment. Then he crouched and picked up a notebook Rin had dropped, holding it out to her without ever looking away.

She backed away, trembling violently. He proffered her the book once more, gently, slowly, like she was a frightened dog whom he didn't want to chase off. She threw a twisted piece of metal this time.

It _ping_ed off the silver mask. He raised his hand to his head and rubbed it like she had hurt him. He took a step forward toward her. She squeaked, and shuffled back more, stumbling over the corpse.

The thing caught her wrist and stopped her from falling, but his touch caused her to scream at the top of her lungs. He looked wildly around, to see if anyone was coming. No one was. He released her and turned away, waving in a small gesture she could barely see from around his other arm. Then he seemed to meld into the darkness the same way he came.

How long Rin stood there she didn't know, bordered in by dead bodies that were already attracting flies. Eventually, she pulled her leaden legs away and ran. Her school bag slapped against her leg as she sprinted home.

The instant she was in, she dropped her bag and fell into a horrified, sobbing heap on the floor. Rocking back and forth with her hysterical sobs, she kept replaying the scene in her head.

She fell asleep like that, and had a dream. A confused mish-mash where Sesshomaru and the masked being walked together through a world where the sky was gold and the moon silver. They faced her together and each held out a hand to help her. But she backed away repelled by the darkness the emanated from both of them.

She woke, Sesshomaru's face fresh in her mind. If only he was here.

She had no one to protect her here.

XxXxXxXxX

Sesshomaru killed the old man no problem. In fact, the deaf old geezer died in his sleep.

Of natural causes.

Sesshomaru swore lowly to himself as he found the old man already dead in his bed. What had been the point of coming, dammit?

He carved the mark onto the man's hand with his knife. It's not like he would care anyways.

He turned back and left, returning reluctantly to his master. He would make sure that Rin was alright after he checked in with Naraku. There was no way for Naraku to know of his unplanned kills this early, and he had the perfect excuse to go see Rin this late.

Sesshomaru entered an abandoned warehouse on the side of town. Once in, he pressed his hand on the bricks in a sequence, just beside the door. Third from the bottom, eighth to the right, six from the floor.

A near silent squeak, like that of a mouse was emitted from the ground. A door opened, revealing a flight of steps. Sesshomaru entered and set his mask on a side table. The room was dimly lit, as always, by two bare bulbs, that illuminated only the weapons table and Naraku's computer so that he could find his victims; all else was swathed in cold blackness.

"I'm finished, Naraku." Sesshomaru asserted impatiently. His master simply sat in his torn desk chair, not moving. He stood slowly, and walked over to Sesshomaru.

"Are you now… quick work for someone who killed three men rather than one, isn't it?" He asked. His voice remained even, but for the end of his question where his fury blazed through his calm tone. How had he found out?

His crimson eyes were wild with rage. "Who told you to kill them? Someone could have seen you, that was far too exposed! If they had found, there is no doubt in my mind you would have willingly given me away!"

"There is no doubt in my mind either, Naraku." Sesshomaru said icily.

"Collar of Cerberus; rejection. Storm of Hell's Fury." He hissed with such malicious venom it hurt to listen.

The Hell's Fury activation was by far the worst of the three. Every nerve was set on fire, every cell screamed for release. Sesshomaru didn't belong to Naraku, so he couldn't take his heart; this was just as bad.

He giggled insanely as Sesshomaru writhed silently on the floor. The silver haired man couldn't even scream now. He couldn't draw breath to do so.

Being the bastard that he was, Naraku kicked Sesshomaru, beat him, thrashed him like a whipped dog as he lay incapacitated. He couldn't take it anymore. He was going to die.

The pain stopped, and Sesshomaru relaxed. It took all the energy he had simply to glare up at Naraku's smiling face and snarl at him, "You will regret the day you enslaved an Iwasaki."

"I doubt it." Naraku replied, grin widening.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello again! Your (somewhat) friendly author here….. **

** I just wanted to say that this story has gotten more reviews in six chapters than my first fic got in eighteen! I'm so happy…. Oh and if anyone's ever seen 'Get Smart', it is really funny. :D**

Rin dozed fitfully, jolting awake at _least _fifty times that night… so it seemed to her. At last she fell asleep, Sesshomaru insinuating himself in her dream yet _again_…. Without the black and silver counterpart this time.

He was unhappy, she could tell. The slightest down-turn in the corner of his mouth, the tiniest crease between his eyebrows, the single shade that darkened his eyes, no one else would be able to tell his mood. But Rin was Rin, and knew him better that she ought to for a month long friendship.

He tried to tell her something, but every time he got close to revealing something, some other dream person would interrupt him, and he would fall silent again.

"Rin…. The reason you can't trust me… It's because… I…"

"Riiiiin!" squealed a dream-Kagome, cutting off Sesshomaru like he wasn't there. An annoying beeping infiltrated her dreams. She ignored it, clinging desperately to the fantasy. She _had _to know what Sesshomaru was saying.

Try after try, Sesshomaru attempted to say something, only to be interrupted. The beeping stopped at last, and Rin's dream shifted to be deeper, darker.

Her heart was trying to tell her something that her mind had also realized subconsciously. Before she had her epiphany, however, the sunlight slanting across her face jolted her awake.

The sun outside her window had to be at least a few hours old. Rin checked her clock, noticing that she was right. It was nearly eleven. That beeping in her dream must have been the alarm clock. She sighed to herself. So what if she missed school today. She sure as hell wasn't going to go _now_.

She stood unsteadily from her place on the floor. She would use today to clean her house, do laundry, go grocery shopping maybe….

Rin sighed again and went to take a shower. Today was going to be a long one.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Sesshomaru came to school a bit late that day, walking in ten minutes after the first bell rang. Tsubaki, queen of evil teachers, opened her mouth to berate him before halting. She said aloud what everyone was thinking.

"What the hell happened to _you_?"

Sesshomaru gazed at the floor, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes, though it was obvious why she asked.

Black eye, bruises covering every inch of visible skin, dirty, unkempt clothes; a very un-Sesshomaru like appearance in general.

"Nothing." His voice was muted, slightly rough, like it pained him to speak. "I apologize for the interruption." He walked to his chair and sat down, keeping his eyes on his desk. He peered out of the corner of his eye and caught Ayame staring at him. He must have looked pretty scary, because she jolted and looked away immediately.

Sesshomaru glanced at Rin's empty seat.

_She's not here._

_ Maybe something happened after I left._

_ Maybe she got hurt._

_ Maybe it's my fault._

_ What if Naraku found out about her?_

_ What should I do? I'll check on her later._

_ No, first I'll ask her friends. Maybe they know where she is._

He strove to tame the panic that rose in his heart. Really, what if Naraku killed her just to enforce his rule over Sesshomaru? It would be all his fault then. All his fault.

By lunch period, Sesshomaru was practically falling apart. He _had _to know. He had to know if his only friend was okay. Because if she wasn't….

He quickly sought out Inuyasha and Kagome. Knowing how close Rin was to his brother's woman, he stalked over, barely maintaining his distress. As it was, his eyes were beginning to merge red already. The slightest bit of provoking from Inuyasha might have sent him over the edge.

He approached the table full of friends and stood by the edge, clenching and unclenching his hands to try and keep control. Kagome gasped and recoiled into Inuyasha, who in turn, cursed loudly as he turned to see Sesshomaru.

His eyes were desperate, wild even. He gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles were white and spoke in a voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

"I'm going to ask this only once and I expect an answer." He demanded. "Where. Is. Rin."

Everyone stared at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was. The mental stress of killing people was driving him insane.

"How should _we _know, bastard? She's _your _woman!" Inuyasha growled. His brother's behavior was worrying him. Not because he cared about Sesshomaru, but if Sesshomaru snapped, everyone here was going to die, and Inuyasha knew it.

Shockingly, Sesshomaru bowed his head. The others strained to hear his voice. It rose with every word until everyone could hear it.

"No… no no no no no! They couldn't have… damn it!" He roared, sprinting out of the room. Kagome looked at Inuyasha, and Inuyasha summed up everyone's thoughts in one sentence.

"What the _hell _was _that_?"

XxXxXxXx

Sesshomaru shouldn't have been running. His condition from yesterday's punishment was precarious as it was, and running like this could only make it worse.

He didn't care. He had to know if Rin was okay.

He couldn't handle her death on his conscience.

He was Sesshomaru, the Killing Perfection, so of course killing came naturally to him. He only really minded his job because it was for Naraku. That said, given a choice, Sesshomaru wouldn't have kill unless threatened.

But killing Rin, directly or indirectly was taking it too far.

What if those crooks had had accomplices? Or Naraku hired someone?

Sesshomaru hissed in pain and pushed himself faster, faster, faster…

XxXxXxXxX

Rin hummed to herself, trying to drown out her still-horrified thoughts as she did the dishes, rubbing each plate lovingly clean before setting it back in the cupboard. She sang some of the words out loud fragments broken by humming.

"Those keen eyes…. Hm hm hm Phrase yo…. Hm hm hm copy ja ne ii nandi o…Spark, kiete krie….No thumbs up…" There was a sudden loud banging at the door. Rin shrieked and dropped the plate. It shattered on the linoleum, fragments skidding across her toes. She suddenly recognized the voice at the door.

"Rin!"

"Sesshomaru?" she murmured. She looked at the clock. Shouldn't he be in school? Nevertheless she rushed to the door and pulled it open.

The instant Sesshomaru saw her, his eyes changed from red to gold, and he sighed.

"You're okay… I'm glad."

"You're _not _okay! What…. Wait, how did you know something happened to me?" she asked. Sesshomaru blinked.

"I went to the store and took a shortcut home only to find an alley full of corpses and your scent. And then you didn't come to school, so I worried…" He admitted with a frown. Rin smiled at him, albeit, anxiously.

"What happened to you? You're hurt…" she queried, touching his arm delicately over a large purple-black bruise shaped like part of a foot print.

"I…I'm fine." He asserted. Though his eyes were no longer red, his magenta streaks were still jagged, giving him a rougher look to his face.

"You're not! Come inside!" Rin commanded, hoping to bandage him up a bit. He gave a small nod of assent, taking a step forward.

His knees buckled and he sank dizzily to the floor. His flight was taking its toll on his body now. His injuries from Naraku went far deeper than bruises and cuts.

Rin said something, and he tried to respond.

_How odd._

_ I can't move at all… _

_ But Rin is safe. _

Sesshomaru blacked out, falling forward at Rin's feet. She panicked and tried to wake him, calling his name and shaking him lightly as tears filled her eyes.

She grabbed the phone and called 911, not knowing what else to do. A few minutes later and ambulance drove up, and she was allowed to climb in back and sit next to Sesshomaru's stretcher. Now that she could see him like this, she saw that his condition was worse than she thought.

Black, crushed flesh and contusions the color of dried cherries marked his pale, usually pristine skin. The scars on his wrist had vanished, only to be replaced with more cuts. His breath was shallower than it should have been, and his skin was off-color.

Rin began to cry. She had thought they were friends. Why wouldn't he let her help him?

XxXxXxX

Sesshomaru was now settled on a hospital bed, breathing more normally now. Rin looked sadly at him, wondering why even in sleep he looked like he was trying to run away from something.

A doctor came up behind her and tapped her shoulder, causing her to jump. She turned to see a tall man in a white coat beckoning her out the door. She followed quietly and stood against the wall as the man frowned in a worried manner.

"Listen… we found signs of physical abuse on your friend's body. He passed out due to severe exhaustion and slight internal bleeding from where his broken ribs punctured his right lung. The bleeding has stopped, and being a demon, Mr. Iwasaki should be fine

However, we need to know who did that to him. If we find out who, we may be able to press charges for Mr. Iwasaki's hospitalization. Do you know anything, miss? You two seem close."

Rin simply gaped. Sesshomaru? Abused? There was no way that would happen; Sesshomaru didn't even take _bullying _for heaven's sake!

But if it was true… that would explain why Sesshomaru would show up some days with unexplained marks on him, and why he was reluctant to tell her.

"I-I don't know anything! Why wouldn't he tell me that?" she cried.

"I'm going to talk to him. Maybe we can help him-!"

"Why does everyone say that? That they can _help _me?" Sesshomaru asked quietly from the doorway. He was standing a bit gingerly, favoring his left side, but other than that seemed better.

"Mr. Iwasaki, if you tell us who has been abusing you, than…" The doctor explained.

"I don't need your help." Sesshomaru interjected.

"Damn you…" Rin hissed. Sesshomaru gave her a startled look. "Damn you! You always push yourself too hard and don't tell me anything! I thought we were friends! Every time I look at you I can see that there's something wrong! You don't have to bear it alone, because I'm _right here_!"

"Rin…"

"Why don't you trust me?" she asked brokenly.

"I do this to protect you." Sesshomaru stated flatly.

"What, so leaving me in the dark is what you call _protection_?"

"Darkness is safety, light is exposure."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rin burst out. The doctor looked highly uncomfortable with their conversation, somehow knowing he was in the cross-fire of a potentially friendship-ending fight.

"Some secrets are better left untold, Rin." Sesshomaru gave her a pleading look, begging her not to take it any further. But she did.

"Give me a straight answer dammit!" She roared at him.

"If I tell you, you'll run away just like everyone else who knows, and you will _hate _me forever." He lowered his eyes. "I don't think I would be able to stand it. Really, if I was smart, I would push you away. I would _want _you to hate me. It would be better that way. But I can't do that. I just can't."

Rin just stared at him, wanting so badly to know, but wanting to comfort Sesshomaru more than that. She walked forward and gave him a gentle hug, avoiding his ribs. She felt so small next to him. So safe.

He returned her hug with one arm, burying his face in her hair. The doctor was if anything, more uncomfortable now. He cleared his throat loudly after a moment, causing Sesshomaru to shoot a glare his way.

"What?"

"Well, Mr. Iwasaki, you're going to need to stay here a couple of days. That girl there-"

"Rin." Sesshomaru growled at the man.

"Um, yes, Rin… should leave to tell the school of your absence and will be able to visit you later. Would you do that, Rin?" The doctor asked nervously, glancing at Sesshomaru every few seconds.

"Well… I guess so. I-I'll see you later Sesshomaru." Rin called over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Bye." He mumbled, turning away.

_Rin is safe._

_ But I can't tell her what I am._

Who _I am._

_ Ever._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hiya! Well, for those of you getting a bit impatient… you're in luck, because next chapter, things really start heating up…. After next chapter there will probably only be about two or three more… a total of ten chapters, thirteen max. **

** Anyways, thanks for all your reviews, as always… and I will be placing a poll up soon about which story I should begin posting next. **** And again I am talking too much… sigh… **

Rin got a ride back to her house by an off duty ambulance driver, and made it there is record time. She hopped out of the car with a brief thank you and began to walk toward the school. Surely school was almost out by now?

She stuck her hands in her pockets and walked slowly, thinking over Sesshomaru's words.

_"Darkness is safety, light is exposure… Some secrets are better left untold, Rin…."_his voice echoed in her head as she pondered his words.

But every time she thought about how injured he was, both emotionally and physically, she had to fight back tears.

Rin arrived at the school as soon as the bell rang. No one would be out for a couple of minutes, so Rin sat on the steps.

She finally couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She broke down at last, sobbing into her arms. He had run to her house to make sure she was okay, even though he could have _died_! If he had, she wouldn't have been able to live with herself.

The shock of everything that had happened in forty-eight hours came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks in that one moment.

She was crying so hard she didn't even notice that Kagome and Inuyasha had come up behind her.

"Rin?" Kagome asked, timidly touching Rin's shaking shoulders, "Are you okay?" Inuyasha simply hung awkwardly behind. He was extremely uneasy around crying girls. Perhaps even more so then with crying guys.

"Sesshomaru…!" Rin choked, "Sesshomaru…!" She was trying to tell them that Sesshomaru was in the hospital, but somehow, she just couldn't get it out.

"Did Sesshomaru break up with you? That jerk, I'll get Inuyasha to kick his ass for ya Rin!" Kagome cried angrily. Rin shook her head vigorously and wept.

"Wha…?" Inuyasha asked in surprise.

"Are you saying you _wouldn't _beat up Sesshomaru for me?" Kagome stormed.

"Well, I would never pass up a chance to kick 'im around a bit, but…"

"But what?" Kagome asked angrily. Rin broke through their argument by swallowing loudly to calm herself down a bit.

Taking a deep breath, Rin finally announced what she had wanted to say. "Sesshomaru's been hospitalized!" She wailed, staring at Kagome tearily.

"My brother's been _hospitalized?_!" Inuyasha cried. "What the hell? Aw dammit, now I gotta go _see _him… Why's he in the hospital? I swear, if it's because he was screwing around with an ogre demon again by trying to trip it, I will rip his head off. Though he hasn't done that since he was about eight…"

"The doctor said he had been beaten. Didn't you see him today?" Rin asked sadly.

"Well, yeah." Inuyasha replied. "He was freaking out at lunch and asking us where you were before he disappeared… Why was he so panicked? I haven't seen him that animate for… a long time."

"I was almost raped yesterday…" Rin murmured, not meeting their eyes.

"By Sesshomaru?" Kagome shrieked. Rin gave her a look that clearly said, 'Sweet Lord God of Heaven, what is _wrong _with you woman?' "Not it?" Kagome said sheepishly.

"Not _even _close. Anyway, Sesshomaru found my scent in an alley way full of dead guys…" She stopped short at the look on Kagome's face. "Guess I should back up a bit. Long story short, I almost got raped, some guy in black with a silver mask killed them, I hit him, he left, I ran home."

Kagome simply gaped. "What. The. Hell." She said haltingly. Rin flapped a hand dismissively at her and continued.

"Anyways, Sesshomaru has three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and severe bruising… pretty much everywhere." She sighed. "I have a feeling this is my fault, but I can't figure out why… I'm going back to visit him now. You guys wanna come?" Rin asked glumly.

"Nah, if you're going, that means I don't have to." Inuyasha said happily. Rin pouted at him.

"That's so mean. I guess you don't want to go either, Kagome?"

"Um, no, thanks."

"I'll just be off then…" Rin called as she began to leave.

"Wait! Rin!" Kagome cried after her. "There's a sleepover at Ayame's house tomorrow night! You'd better come! No, you're coming, even if I have to kidnap you."

"Tell Sesshomaru he's a bastard for me!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Right…" muttered Rin, "Like I'd say that to Sesshomaru." But the sleep over would be fun… a nice break from reality in Rin's opinion.

She ended up taking a bus back to the hospital, and the desk clerk was surprised to see her back so soon. The young Eastern dog demon gave her an odd look from his unearthly blue eyes.

"You're back already?" he asked, running his hand through his spiky black hair. Rin caught sight of the black sun on his forehead.

"Yes. May go up to his room?" Rin asked.

"Sure lady. You know where it is, I'm sure. Later!" he called as he turned back to his stack of paper work. Rin turned likewise and went up the stairs to the third floor, walking down the sterile white halls to room eight A, Matsumoto ward.

She sung the door open without any hesitation and was greeted by a complete silence.

"Sessh-o-ma-ru!" Rin sang as she pranced across the room. She found him doing a Sudoku puzzle with total ease, writing down numbers in quick succession, flipping pages rapidly and solving those as well. He responded with a low, 'Hn?'

Rin huffed noisily and tugged on his ear. He tipped his head, but continued scribbling. _That's it_, Rin thought. _He's left me no other choice._

"I have a boyfriend now!" She trilled. Sesshomaru dropped his pen.

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?" He cried, gold eyes flashing. "Who? I'll rip his head off if he does _anything _to you! No, I might tear him to pieces _regardless!_"

"Just kidding~" Rin giggled. Sesshomaru flopped back against his pillows.

"That was _so _not nice Rin. You gave me a heart attack." He complained. She saw the small light in his eye and knew he wasn't being serious.

"Really now, would me getting a boy friend be _that _devastating to you?" she queried.

"Wha… n-no!" He growled. Rin caught sight of a light flush creeping up his neck. She laughed again.

"All right all right… no need to get so worked up! It's fine." Sesshomaru made no reply, but picked up his Sudoku book and pen, placing them on the bedside table. Rin chatted for a while longer, Sesshomaru making his usual short side comments, before the mouse demon nurse came to tell them that visiting hours were over.

She seemed a bit scared of Sesshomaru, and Rin could see why. She was a small woman with mottled hair and dark eyes, her head barely clearing four feet tall. Anyone would be afraid of Sesshomaru at that height, seeing as he was over three feet taller than her.

Rin bid Sesshomaru goodbye, and took the bus back to her house.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The next day passed quickly, and before Rin knew it, Kagome was at her house, banging on her door.

"Rin! I'm kidnapping you and taking you to Ayame's! I hope you're ready!" Kagome yelled through the door.

"Wait!" Rin yelled back, "I'm still packing!" She desperately shoved her toothbrush into her bag while grabbing a pair of pajamas with her other hand. She practically sprinted to the door, grabbing her house key as she went.

Flinging open the door she was met with a grinning Kagome who was already in her pajamas, fluffy and cat-patterned, holding a stuffed teddy bear. Rin smiled and locked the door behind her, following Kagome into Mrs. Higurashi's car.

They arrived at Ayame's house and ran to the door through the darkening night.

They burst in through the front door armed with pillows and nearly knocked over Ayame's grandpa. He simply glared at them in return before showing them in and taking his leave to the other side of the spacious house because 'Young girls nowadays have a bad habit of squealing for absolutely no reason'.

"Riiiiiiiin! Kagooooooome!" Ayame squealed.

"Point proven." Her grandfather muttered under his breath. Rin laughed as he shuffled away.

"Com'on com'on com'on! We need to decide what to do! Sango's already here, come on up stairs!" Ayame chattered in excitement. Rin and Kagome were dragged up to Ayame's room, and were tossed on the bed beside Sango.

The mural on Ayame's walls depicted a mountain scene at night, and the green carpet looked like grass. A large vase held a bunch of purple irises. Ayame shoved a velvet bag under Rin's nose.

"Pick an activity to do first Rin!" She cried happily. Rin rummaged in the bag and pulled out a delicately folded piece. She opened it and gasped in dismay.

"Truth or Dare!" She groaned. Ayame giggled and Kagome punched me lightly on the arm.

"Let's begin, shall we?" Ayame trilled. They sighed and sat in a circle. "Rin first, since she picked it. Truth!"

"Wait, don't I get to pick?" Rin panicked.

"No. Now…. Have you and Sesshomaru kissed yet?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Wha…." Rin blushed furiously before yelling, "We're not even _dating_!"

"Riiiiiight." Called Kagome skeptically. "That's why no other boys come near you, and why he follows you like a lost puppy, _and _why he gets pissed off when you're not around. Yeah."

"But we're not!" Rin protested.

"I can't believe you fell for someone like him Rin!" Ayame practically sang. "Such a bad guy! A real scary person!"

"Is it that obvious that I like him? And anyways, he's not at _all _like you think. I think he's just shy, and he gets embarrassed and jealous just like everyone else… He just has issues showing it." Rin countered. "No, we haven't kissed. Turn over. I pick Ayame."

"Whaaaaaat?" Ayame cried.

"Dare!" Shouted Sango. "Run to Koga's in your underwear and knock on the door till he answers it and strike a pose!" Koga's house was only down the street, so everyone could watch from Ayame's window.

"No! WHY?" she screamed.

"Dare's a Dare!" crowed Kagome.

"Do it!" Rin cried, egging her on. At last they got Ayame to do it. They watched as Koga opened the door and fell over in surprise, and laughed uproariously when Ayame came back through the door with a face redder than a sunburned tomato lobster.

"Dare!" Snarled Ayame, glaring at Sango. "Grope Miroku." Everyone gasped. The apocalypse had come. Sango had to be the one to touch Miroku rather than the other way around.

"No way! How am I supposed to…"

"Next time we see him. We'll be watching…" Ayame hissed. Epic payback, no? Sango sighed.

"Fine. Kagome, dare. Rin gets to pick what it is though." Everyone looked at Rin.

"Um…. Prank call Inuyasha by dialing his number every five minutes and hanging up when he answers. If he doesn't pick up the phone, scream 'marshmallow highlighter elephant socks' into his answering machine."

The other three girls gave her a strange look, but Kagome accepted. The sleep over was more fun than Rin had thought it would be, a true escape from reality, if only for a moment.

XxXxXxXxX

Sesshomaru glared at the man who had come through his window.

"Naraku." He gritted out.

"Sesshomaru." Said man replied, inclining his head. "Looks like your prey will have to wait until the night after next, eh?"

"Whatever. Get out."

"Tsk, that's no way to treat your master… but I will comply. I'll see you soon, Sesshomaru. I'll be coming to visit you more often from now on… Oh, and don't forget… I know things you think are hidden." He left his cryptic message hanging on the air as he leapt back out the window.

"What the hell does he mean by that, I wonder….?" Sesshomaru pondered. Still thinking on this, he fell into a fitful slumber, for not even demons are perpetual-motion machines.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Kay, I'm sorry about the random but necessary crap, and I now will tell you that Sessh-killy stuff comes back in the middle of this chapter when he goes insane (literally). Yeah, a bit of possibly mushy stuff in the exact middle of this chapter, but then next chapter there is a gun fight, so bear with this please! **

Sesshomaru got out of the hospital on Saturday morning, and returned to the comfort of his own home… only to have Rin call him three hours later to ask him if he would help her carry her groceries home. He gave in and said he would meet her in twenty minutes at her house.

After all, Sesshomaru could never say no to Rin.

He arrived five minutes early, and to his surprise, Rin was already waiting for him, dressed in jeans and a white, hooded jacked patterned with black dandelion poofs ( A/N:anyone know what the _heck _those things are called? You know what I'm talking about, those white fluffy things that are fun to blow on! Um… seed puffs?)

She smiled when she saw him and stopped picking the weeds out of her shrubbery.

"Good morning!" she called to him.

"It is a morning…" he sighed, "and it may turn out to be good…" He himself was dressed in dark green cargo pants and a black sweater, his hands buried deep in his pockets.

"Hmph, that's no way to start your day! You have to think positively!"

"Yeah, right. Positive thinking. Cause that's what I do." Sesshomaru retorted. Rin gave him a mock pout and stuck out her tongue.

"Haha, yeah, the king of gloom isn't one for cheer, now is he?" she taunted.

"'King of gloom'? Really? Was that the best you could come up with?"

They continued their light banter as they walked down toward the supermarket. They turned a corner, and suddenly heard a loud, moderately high-pitched cry.

"Rin! Rin! Rin! Rin! Riiiiiiiin!" A red haired kid catapulted into Rin, sending her stumbling back with her arms wind-milling to help her keep balance.

"Sh-shippo!" she stuttered in surprise. The boy scrambled up onto Rin's shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Sesshomaru gave a low, guttural snarl when he did this. Shippo gave him a swift look before whispering in Rin's ear, "You boyfriend is scary."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Rin chuckled. Shippo cast another look at Sesshomaru.

"I think he wishes he was." Sesshomaru reeled back in surprise at his words and turned away. Not fast enough, for Rin had already seen the light blush across his cheeks.

"Who's this child, Rin?" he asked, to cover his moment of embarrassment.

"This is Shippo. I babysit him sometimes." Rin replied cheerily.

"Is that so…." Sesshomaru murmured, scrutinizing said fox kit. "Only a level eighteen… moderate for your age." Shippo puffed up his chest proudly.

"Actually, I'm eighteen point nine! One more point and I'll be a seventeen!" he boasted.

"I'm lost." Rin interjected.

"Demons can see each others' true forms." Sesshomaru said, narrowing his eyes at Shippo. "Minor nobility? I can tell from the mark on your ears…."

"Yeah!" Shippo yelped. "But wow mister, you're really… big. And scary. I mean, one tap from those fangs would pierce me through…" he shuddered briefly. "You're a big shot though! That mark on your forehead is the mark of the Western Lords! Let's be friends please, I _really _don't wanna have unfriendly contact with your fangs, claws, etcetera." Sesshomaru inclined his head briefly.

"Wait!" Rin cried. "I'm _so _confused! Shippo, what does Sesshomaru look like?"

"Well… I would ask him to transform to show you, seeing as it's pretty hard to describe… but he's so _huge _that he may blow up several buildings before he's done growing!"

"Huge? Pah. My father was eight to ten times my size at the very least." Shippo's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, but another voice broke in.

"Shiiiiiiiiipooooooooo!"

"Mama? Sorry Rin, Rin's boyfriend, gotta go!" Shippo skittered out of sight.

"That was interesting." Sesshomaru commented.

"Yes, it was! I didn't know demons could see one another's forms! Heck, I thought _this _was your true form!" she cried in shock, indicating his seven foot frame.

"Er, no." he said earnestly.

"Can I see?" she gasped excitedly.

"Er, _no._" Sesshomaru repeated. Rin pouted at him.

"Why not?"

"Firstly, because it would be difficult to find a space large enough…. And secondly, it would freak you out. Watching your friend turn into a dog twice the size of an African bull elephant while he oozes acid from his teeth and claws is enough to cause slight emotional trauma in my opinion. That's just me though." He said with a shrug. Rin huffed at him and remained silent in what was supposed to be a cold shoulder. However, her curiosity won out.

"I knew you were a dog, but _twice the size of an African bull elephant?_ That's what, like, five thousand pounds?"

"Yes. And I'm not fat. That's my natural weight." He defended in flat tones as always. Rin snorted.

"I think _someone's _self conscious about their _weight_. _I _never said you were fat. _You _jumped to conclusions on your own!" Rin teased. Sesshomaru shot her a mock glare.

"Yup. That's me, the anorexic male dog demon." Rin giggled and they walked through the automatic doors together. About half an hour later, they stumbled back out, laden with grocery bags.

"Humans sure do eat a lot…. Or is that just you?" Sesshomaru grumbled. Rin shot him a look.

"Well Mr. Anorexic canine, _some _people eat. And I had to buy this much because I was _completely _out of food!"

"Yeah yeah…" They walked back home in moderate silence aside from the odd complaint or groan as bags were shifted to cause better circulation.

"Thanks so much Sesshomaru, I don't know how I would have gotten home otherwise…" Rin sighed gratefully as Sesshomaru placed the last of the bags on her kitchen table.

"No problem. I couldn't possibly refuse you." He responded with a light smirk. Not a smile… Rin wanted desperately for him to _smile_. Rin grinned back at him.

"Was Shippo right?" She raised her eyebrows at him, hoping for a reply.

"Wha…. I… that is, to say… What I mean is…" He stuttered, beginning to blush slightly.

"Okay, okay, don't give yourself a _hernia _over it, jeeze…" Rin muttered, beginning to turn away. Sesshomaru suddenly bent over and kissed her full on the lips.

"Does that answer adequately?" he questioned with his face a mere inch from hers. (A/N: 'It's easier to kiss you, than tell you how I feel…' Chris Allen. Lol, I didn't think of how much that song resembles this scene until I heard that song on my radio this morning :D)

"Yes." She gasped. Sesshomaru pulled back awkwardly.

"Um… well… I have to… um… go… places…" he excused lamely, obviously embarrassed. "Bye!" He called around the door frame, rushing out. Rin just stood there, and put her fingers to her mouth.

Did that really just happen?

XxXxXxXxX

Sesshomaru sprinted home, desperately berating himself mentally. How could he have been so impulsive? The closer he got to her, the more difficult it would be for both of them.

He slowed down when he neared his front door, stopping himself just in time to not hit the wall. His house was on the outskirts of town, shaded by large willow trees; it was moderately sized and painted white, from the roof to the door. He opened the colorless door and stepped into an equally pale room. White carpet, white walls, ash gray furniture; only externally was the house this tidy.

Sesshomaru strode down a dark hallway, and amongst all of the white rooms, there was a single black door. He gripped the brass handle and went in.

What _used _to be white carpet was spread on the floor. Now it was stained various shades. In some patches it was black, and flaked when one stepped on it. Other places it was brown, and in still others, it remained red from the fresh blood.

Sesshomaru's room looked like a slaughter house. (A/N: all of this blood is Sesshomaru's from various visits of Naraku's… sorry if this part is a bit unclear.)

The red flecked walls and smeared bed sheets were suffused in a dull red glow due to the crimson curtains that covered the large window. This lit up a large hour glass that was sitting on the dresser.

Out of boredom, Sesshomaru flipped it over to start it running before he flopped onto his bed. He fell asleep inadvertently and fell into a dreamless realm…..

Sesshomaru was awakened several hours later by a loud buzzing. He opened his eyes to find one of Naraku's hideous venom wasps right in his face. He snarled, and it backed up enough for him to sit up.

"_What_?" he spat at the enormous insect. It buzzed and shook its body in an odd dance. _Go to Naraku. _ "Why the hell should I do that? Naraku can come here if he wants to see me." It hummed more instantly and shook wildly. _No, go to Naraku. Go. Go. Go. Go._ "Damn it, fine! I'll go if he wants to see me that badly!" Sesshomaru snapped, getting off his bed. The insect droned more quietly, but flew close to Sesshomaru.

"Hmmmmmmmmmm….." the bug interjected. _Master Naraku is displeased._

"Like I give damn." Sesshomaru shot back.

"Hmmmmmmmmmm….." _He will remind you of his authority now._

Sesshomaru's collar tightened and a spasm flitted through his body. He coughed up a small amount of blood and added it to the gore that stained his carpet. He briefly thanked God that he wasn't human. Any human who lost that much blood would have keeled over from anemia.

"Idiot creature!" Sesshomaru bit out. "Go back to your master and tell him I'll be there."

XxXxXxXxX

Sesshomaru walked in on Naraku giggling insanely to himself. He decided it best to simply stand there and watch until his master was finished.

Eventually Naraku quieted and turned to see Sesshomaru staring at him. He cleared his throat and walked over to Sesshomaru with a thin-lipped smile.

"Sesshomaru." He greeted. Sesshomaru could tell that he was angry. No, more than that, livid. He chose to stay silent. Naraku dropped his grin and bored holes in his unwilling servant with his crimson eyes.

The pair stayed like that, red eyes locked on gold. Naraku finally began to speak, gaze never leaving Sesshomaru's face as a cruel smirk twisted his features.

"You remember that 'beauty' I mentioned earlier, slave? I lied. She's not an upper class demon. She's human. You seem to know her pretty well too... Rin Kanada." Sesshomaru's eyes widened in absolute horror at his words. (A/N: Pre-near-rape scene, Naraku is researching a so called upper class demon. This was to throw Sesshy off the scent, but by then he already knew about Rin. He waited this long to tell Sesshy just to make it more painful for him… just some clarification there.)

"Rin?" he choked. Sesshomaru was now forced to choose between his brother and vow to his father, or his best, his _only _friend.

But Naraku's word was law. The Collar of Cerberus ensured that there would be no disobedience.

Once given a new quarry, he could not rest until it was destroyed.

He wouldn't do it.

Sesshomaru _couldn't. _

"I can't!" he cried back at the other demon. The cruel smirk simply shifted to an evil smile of delight.

"Oh, but you must! That wasn't a request. That was an _order_." Those last words of his set off the Collar's main use… extreme strengthening of Sesshomaru's feral senses. He fought desperately against the urge to find Rin and tear her into strips. He gripped his head and groaned, struggling to keep his mind.

"I can't!" he repeated.

"You _will_." Naraku enforced. The pull of the Collar was becoming stronger. Sesshomaru dug his claws into his scalp, the pain helping to keep him conscious. "You _will._" Naraku said again. Sesshomaru suddenly lost control. He stood back up in utter silence, eyes gleaming red.

"Yes master Naraku. I will destroy her." He said in dull tones, turning empty eyes to where his mask lay on a table.

"Excellent! I knew you would see things my way in the end. After all, she is _quite _a nuisance. Enjoy your twenty-ninth kill! A pity she couldn't have made a round thirty." Naraku said with a cold chuckle. "Go." He commanded.

"Naraku's word is law." Sesshomaru replied, turning away toward the door. "I will take her apart. I will strip her bones of their flesh."

He flashed out the door, the last rays of sunlight dying on the edges of the earth and filling it with void shadows and stars.

The black shape flitted out through the night, a part of the night itself.

He now hunted that which he wanted to protect.

And nothing was going through his mind but a rhythm that thrummed in time to his rapid heartbeat, a single worded chant.

_Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill… _


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: GASP! Like, third to last chapter! (Maybe…. If I don't make a prologue?) Anywhoo, I should warn you, this one is pretty cliffy too…. And Sesshy loses his freakin' mind…. Well, just read, you'll see **

Rin yawned and pulled her sweatshirt over her head. She didn't want to put her pajamas on yet, but she was still cold… so very cold.

It had nothing to do with the temperature. She had that horrible feeling that something was watching her, scrutinizing her, waiting and baiting her…

She swallowed nervously. She was being paranoid again. She mentally slapped herself, turning to leave her dark bedroom and to enter her living room to watch TV.

She didn't notice the shadow that detached itself from the darkness in the corner to follow her along the wall, red eyes flashing violently in the half-light.

She sat on her couch, trembling slightly as she flipped through the channels, unable to shake the suspicion that she wasn't alone in the room.

The same patch of darkness seemed to rise up from the ground behind her as Rin watched it straighten up in the mirror above her television. It was that thing from before, the thing with the silver mask.

Suspicion confirmed.

She screamed wildly, and flung herself forward to try to escape the thing, but black fingers caught in her hair and dragged her back, pulling her upward until the silver mask rested in the crook up her neck.

She listened to the deep inhalation that took place behind the mask, as if the thing was drawing in her scent.

"_Prey… found… prey_!" it whispered joyfully. _"Kill…"_ one hand tightened on her scalp as the other crept closer to her throat, poised to tear out her larynx. "_Kill…. Kill…_ _Ki_-hck!" It stopped murmuring to itself and dropped Rin, clutching at both sides of its head. "Stop it!" he cried in horror. Rin found something vaguely familiar about the voice, but in her confusion, the echoing mask proved to distort the voice too much to be recognized. But it was definitely a boy. Young too, by the sound.

Rin stared in shock as he seemed to argue with himself, voice shifting from malicious and blood thirsty to pained and shocked.

"Please…. Don't make me kill her! _Prey! Must… blood… kill... _No! Aaaaaagh!" He fell writhing to the floor, and suddenly froze, panting. Rin watched fearfully as the thing stumbled away from the wall, chest heaving frantically, the odd red glow gone from the eye sockets in the mask. Through the slits she could only see the occasional glint of gold. He stretched out a hand toward her, and she scrambled back.

"Please… come with me…" he pleaded. "I want him to think I killed you. I you don't come, he'll kill you, then me."

"Why do I care if you die?" Rin shrieked. "You murderous _freak! _You _deserve _to die! You're going to kill me anyway, so if you die in the process, hooray for the rest of the fricken' world!" He made no reply, but picked her up bodily from the floor, tucking her under his arm before opening her window. He paused.

"Really, we _should _leave some of your blood here to make it look realistic… but the scent of your blood may drive me insane again, so we best leave it like this." He leapt out the window, clamping a hand over Rin's mouth beforehand.

His feet touched the ground with the grace of a feather and took off running on his toes like a hunting animal. He leapt up and began to run along the roof tops, going entirely unseen. Rin squirmed desperately, her captor was stronger than iron; he held her in a firm grip, but did not crush her.

The night blurred around her until she no longer knew where they were. He suddenly stopped at a building, beside a large vent. Popping off the cover, he set Rin on the ground.

"Don't try to run; I'm faster than you are. I'll go in, and you follow, got it?" His question sounded more like a command. He entered the crawl space, and Rin went in after. If she had tried to run, she knew he would have caught up. There was no use in escape.

After crawling for a while, a thought hit her.

"Hey, aren't you worried I might crawl backward and get away?" she spat at the man in front of her.

"Not really. The vent is built so that if you shuffle back, you'll cut your leg on the edge of the metal." He replied coolly, continuing to move forward. Rin decided to test it out. She shifted backward, and immediately inflicted a long cut on her knee. Blood oozed from the lips of the wound, dripping on the metal.

Ahead of her, the man stiffened.

"_Blood…._" He growled furiously. He tried to turn, but the confined space stopped him. He snarled like a rabid dog, pressing himself against the iron floor. "_Need to kill… must… must kill…." _

Rin froze. He had warned her that the scent of her blood might push him over the edge. Why was she so _stupid_? She had just hastened her own death! She hardly dared to breathe.

The man was crooning softly to himself now, shuffling back slowly, and avoiding the sharp edges of the vent. Rin moved back to, trying desperately to stay away. He came in contact with the tiny smear of blood on the surface of the space. He touched it with his gloved hand and raised his mask slightly to lick the blood off his fingers.

"_Blood…_" he sang softly. He roared suddenly, causing Rin to jump. He shook his head violently.

"Focus!" He yelled to himself. "You can't kill her!"

Rin stared at him. He was so obviously a nut job it wasn't even funny.

"Come on." He growled furiously. "We're almost there." Rin followed meekly behind him, not wanting to make her life shorter than it already was.

He hopped out of the vent and helped her down, giving her a chance to look about the room. I was in a large clock tower, one wall completely made of glass with moonlight filtering through. The huge room was empty except for the spiraling flight of stairs that moved up into the gloom.

"I hope you know, no matter where you hide, Sesshomaru is going to find you. He promised that he wouldn't let you hurt me." Rin shot at the man. He stilled, and then turned to face her.

"Sesshomaru's not coming."

"You don't know him! Of course he'll come, there's no way that… wait… _what did you do to him?_"

"Nothing. But he won't come."

"How _dare you_, you monster?" Rin cried, bringing her hand up in a blow to the side of his face. There was a dull _clang-rorororor_ as the mask was pulled from his face and hit the wood flooring.

Utter silence rang in Rin's ears.

"Sessh… omaru?"

He turned to face her, eyes hard, with dark shadows under his them. Sesshomaru didn't reply, but simply stood there in his all black clothing. Things began to click together in Rin's mind.

"_Signs of physical abuse on your friends' body… some secrets are better left untold, Rin…. You can't trust me!" _various scenes flitted through her mind.

"You… _lair!_" she screamed at Sesshomaru. "You _freak, _you _murderer, _you… you… just die!" He simply looked back with no expression.

"I wish." He said bitterly, "Oh how I wish. But I can't die. Not by jumping off something, not by poison, not by starvation. That's the problem with being the Killing Perfection. You can't die."

"How could I have _trusted _you?" Rin shrieked, pounding her fist on his chest.

"I told you not to. It's your problem if you did."

"Oh yes, I would like to know how my slave got a woman to trust him. Usually he has quite the deterring effect. Or perhaps Rin likes cold men?" A third voice called from the window.

Sesshomaru whipped around to see Naraku.

"Hello Sesshomaru. You disobedient dog, I had to call your brother! He'll see you kill Rin, and then probably try to destroy you himself. You won't be able to do a thing about it thanks to that vow your under. It's great for me that demon vows are unbreakable but by death. If you were able to break it, you'd probably let me kill Inuyasha in the blink of an eye!"

Sesshomaru shifted to be in front of Rin, blocking her from the other demon's view. "I won't let you have her!"

"_I _don't want her, you do! Kill, Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru howled in agony, clutching his head again. Rin backed away in horror as he went limp and then turned to her.

Jagged streaks on his face and blood red eyes. Just like before, but this time, it wasn't out of worry, but the desire for blood. He crept toward her, eyes flashing murderously.

"_Prey…._" He crooned again, "_I found prey… I am allowed to kill it… kill it…." _Rin trembled violently. No matter what Sesshomaru had done, no one deserved to be controlled like that.

Sesshomaru lunged with a wickedly joyous snarl, his claws ripping through Rin's upper arm as she tried to dodge. She cried out and fell, eyes widening in mortal fear as Sesshomaru towered over her with a vacant expression of ecstasy. He crouched down to give the final blow, but was knocked over by another silver haired boy.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha bellowed, "What the hell? Are you so cold that you do something like _this?_" He gestured at Rin, who lay on the floor behind him. "I'll kill you for this… Betrayal of love is unforgivable!" He raised his claws against his brother, prepared to fight to the last.

"_Prey!" _Sesshomaru moaned piteously, like a drug addict deprived of his sustenance, _"__**My **__prey… give it back!" _

"As if!" Inuyasha shouted. "I am your opponent, not an unarmed human woman you yellowbellied coward!"

Rin grabbed Inuyasha's ankle. "Stop! He's doing this for you!" Inuyasha looked at her like 'Oh my gosh, he hit you so hard it killed your brain.' "I'm serious! He vowed to your father that he would protect you! A _demon's _vow! Aren't those unbreakable?" Inuyasha nodded. "That man, "she pointed to Naraku, "Is using that to control him!"

"What?" Inuyasha said in utter confusion. Sesshomaru bared his teeth, but made no move. His face was conflicted. His body seemed to want to move forward, but his mind was holding it back.

"_Naraku…" _He hissed, _"I won't kill them…. Not for you!_"

Naraku rolled his eyes and hopped off the window sill. "Foolish dog. Even if you _wanted _to, you can't now that _he _is here. As long as Inuyasha is protecting Rin, you can't make a move against them. Too bad for you that you no longer have a use, because this is now the end. Really all I wanted was to get back at Inuyasha, but torturing you certainly had its merits!"

Naraku pulled a black and silver revolver out of a small bag that rested on the window sill.

"Ironic, am I right? The same colors that took your freedom will now give it back a thousand fold." He cocked the gun with a soft _plichick_ and placed a finger on the trigger. "Silver bullets too… no reason for that. I just felt like it. Oh! You make a round thirty, Sesshomaru! Rin is twenty-nine… and you're thirty."

Rin screamed even as the gun went off, the bullet of moonlight ripping through the still air and burying itself in Sesshomaru's chest. His eyes widened as the light reflected off his blood, and he traced the drops through the air momentarily before falling with a thud, his face just beside his silver mask.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Lol, I love it when you guys suffer like that… I'm just happy that I got such a response from all of you guys, and hope you will enjoy this chapter. Review if you wish, thanks if you do…. Luv ya all for just reading this! :D**

"Sesshomaru!" Rin screamed as he lay in a widening pool of his own blood. "Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha simply looked stunned, staring at his older brother's body as it seemed to merge with the shadows. He looked up at Naraku, seeing his face in full light for the first time.

"Good thing this gun still has five more bullets, otherwise, killing you would force me to get blood all over my hands!" Naraku said pleasantly. "Hmmm…. Start with the girl?" he pointed the gun at Rin, "Or the boy?" His aim shifted to Inuyasha's face. "The boy I think… easier that way. Then once he's dead, I can have a little fun with the girl before hanging her corpse from the top of this tower!" He began to laugh like a maniac, gun dropping down to his side. Inuyasha took a step forward to attack, and the gun was back on his face in less time than it took to blink.

"You interrupted me!" Naraku pouted. "Just die now. You really bore me. I honestly thought that the man Kikyo chased so desperately after before I killed her would be much more fun to slaughter… but, " he yawned, "It seems I was wrong…" _Plichick. Blam._

Something flashed in front of Inuyasha, taking the bullet. Sesshomaru was there, swaying drunkenly, his black clothing shimmering wetly in the half light, the red liquid now spilling from his chest and arm.

"Now Sesshomaru… dead people shouldn't get back up." Naraku huffed. "I can smell you. You're dead. A walking corpse! If not yet, you're so close to death you might just die standing! Now get out of the way, you're pissing me off."

"N-no!" Sesshomaru coughed, tasting blood. "If Inuyasha dies, you'll k-kill Rin! I won't allow it!"

_Plichick… Blam. Plichick… Blam._

Sesshomaru stumbled back as two more bullets tore through his stomach, bumping Inuyasha. He struggled back up, eyes flashing red again, and blood flowing freely in torrents down his side.

"You stupid bastard!" Naraku screamed. "Just _DIE!_" He fired twice more, once into Sesshomaru's leg, and the second into his chest again, just to the right of his first bullet wound. Sesshomaru pulled a shuddering breath and staggered forward, falling to his knees. His arms hung limply at his sides as he fell face down in the red and silver ocean of gore and moonlight.

"Rin…" he murmured, his eyes wide, but blank. Insane laughter came from Naraku now.

"Hyahahahahaha! I killed you, Sesshomaru! And now you can't protect either of them!" _Plichick… click… click… clickclickclickclickclick! _"No more bullets?" He mused. "Damn it all. Looks like things will have to get messy." His flesh began to melt, forming pointed tentacles the swerved like snakes when Inuyasha tried to bat them away. Rin crawled back, holding her injured arm close to her body, trying to reach Sesshomaru.

"Bastard!" Inuyasha roared, charging forward in a blind rage. He slashed off several of the tentacles only to have them reform and grow back into place. "Damn it!" He howled wildly, biting and clawing at Naraku without any effect, even as he himself gained numerous wounds.

Rin reached Sesshomaru and lifted his head out of the blood, laying him on her lap. She couldn't feel a pulse, nor see a breath.

"Sesshomaru…" she choked, bending her head over his face, shoulders shaking with the weight of her grief. There was a sudden tearing sound and Rin looked up to see Naraku pierce Inuyasha through his torso. Inuyasha's blood showered through the air, spattering down around her, some of it landing _on _her. Sesshomaru's eyes flashed open.

He tried to push himself up, but fell.

"You're… alive?" Rin cried in utter amazement. Sesshomaru shook his head slowly.

"I don't know any more…. Rin… back up."

"But-"

"_NOW!_" He bellowed, and Rin skittered backward as quickly as possible. Sesshomaru's body began to pulse, faster and faster; his eyes ran red and his fangs became longer and sharper. His face elongated into a muzzle and white fur rippled over a rapidly growing body. He seemed to be unable to control his transformation.

The other two demons ceased their grappling to stare at the enormous dog that now towered above them. A thick rope of saliva ran to the floor, and immediately the wood began to burn. Sesshomaru's claws left scorch marks on the ground as he stalked forward.

Naraku, who moments ago had seemed like a giant, was no bigger than a rabbit in comparison to Sesshomaru. The bullet wounds had stayed small even after Sesshomaru transformed, now looking like injuries one might sustain from fighting an angry humming bird.

A vicious bass growling shook the earth as Sesshomaru tried to crush Naraku with his paw, disregarding the fact that Inuyasha was standing just beside the enemy. Both leapt out of harms' way with mere centimeters to spare.

"Hey!" Inuyasha yelled at Sesshomaru, "Watch what you're doing!"

"You're supposed to have been dead!" Naraku shouted in confusion. Sesshomaru turned on Naraku, snarling and dripping venom, nearly smearing Inuyasha into the floor with a stray hind leg.

Inuyasha ran over to where Rin was, ducking blows from the heavy tail that swung through the air like a guillotine.

"He's lost it." Inuyasha announced. "Totally insane."

"Who," asked Rin, "Naraku or Sesshomaru?"

"I don't know, _both_!" He was forced to bawl over the howling and shrieking coming from the other side of the room.

"Halt!" Naraku was screaming furiously as Sesshomaru snapped at him like he was a cornered rat, "I command you! Collar of Cerberus!" The thick iron collar crackled, but Sesshomaru was not deterred. "Stop! I'm your master! You must obey! STOP!"

Naraku cried out as a heavy, bloodstained foot trapped him beneath it. Sesshomaru's voice rumbled like the very voice of thunder, seeming to come from everywhere at once as it mingled with his snarling.

"_**I told you that you would regret the day you enslaved an Iwasaki. Regret and DIE!**_"

A horrible scream rang through the room as the paw crushed down with all five thousand pounds behind it. Rin looked away, but she couldn't shut her ears to the disgusting crunching and squishing that emanated from Naraku's corpse.

Sesshomaru lifted his foot from remains that were no longer recognizable as human even, and looked over at Rin and Inuyasha with huge red eyes. Rin smiled. It was over! At last!

Sesshomaru curled his lips over his fangs in an obvious expression of rage. He lunged at them, and Rin cowered in shock. Why was he attacking _them_?

Inuyasha dove out of the way, rolling forward to avoid the rain splinters of wood and bits of stone as Sesshomaru slammed against a wall.

"What are you _doing?_" Inuyasha bellowed up at his brother. "I'm not the enemy!"

Sesshomaru merely howled and lunged again, eyes wild. He lashed out with venomous teeth that snapped shut and inch from Inuyasha's face before trying to claw him to shreds with one paw.

Inuyasha dodged both, knowing that even one blow would be lethal. Sesshomaru tried to bite again, so Inuyasha made his move. Leaping onto the huge black nose that presented itself before him, he scurried up Sesshomaru's face like a rat, and gouged a huge cut out of Sesshomaru's head with his claws.

"Wake up, bastard! Fight's over! You already killed Naraku!" He shouted in Sesshomaru's ear. Sesshomaru yelped and shook Inuyasha off with a quick flick of the head. Never the less, he began to shrink back into human shape.

"You!" Sesshomaru spat at Inuyasha, "It's all because of you!" His eyes were crazed with pain that fueled his blind rage into an endless fury.

"Wha…" Inuyasha spluttered. Sesshomaru buckled, but remained standing, taking a step toward his half brother.

"You have no idea what I've done for you! I've killed again and again just to keep you alive… do you know what that's _done _to me?" His voice rose in horror as he continued to speak. "I'm losing my mind! My soul is being ripped in two and my conscience is weighted with innocent blood!" Inuyasha was backing up a step for every step Sesshomaru took toward him. The dark smudges under Sesshomaru's eyes were more pronounced now, enhancing their hollow gaze. "I should kill you too. Just end it all right now… one swift move and I could free myself…" his voice had died to a whisper.

"Sesshomaru, you can't! He's your brother!" Rin called.

"So _what?" _Sesshomaru snarled. "This vow is _so painful_. I want it off! If I kill him, my soul will be free of my father's curse! I'll gain my freedom back with my thirtieth kill: Inuyasha."

"Sesshomaru-!" Rin was prepared to try to stop him, though she knew he was thousands of times stronger than her. However, it was unnecessary. Sesshomaru suddenly gasped and clutched at his throat, keeling over onto his side.

He curled in upon himself, eyes tightly shut, teeth clenched. Rin bolted over to his side, falling to her knees beside him.

"What's wrong?" she queried desperately. Sesshomaru made no reply, but Rin was too stunned to notice.

The silver collar that had been so thoroughly embedded in his neck was melting away to form a small grey puddle that gathered itself up into a banded silver and black snake before trying to slither away. Rin screamed loudly, kicking at it and accidentally crushing its skull. She hated snakes.

Her attention turned back to Sesshomaru as he gave a muted gasp of relief. Rin gave a disgusted hiss as she saw the mark left by the collar.

Dark holes entered into Sesshomaru's neck at regular intervals, and the holes were faintly green around the edges, smelling of disease and infection. The skin was discolored and red near the ends, dried blood caking the areas between the wounds.

"Free," whispered Sesshomaru, "Free from Naraku's control at last…" he took a deep breath, inhaling without opening his eyes. "I'd almost forgotten what it was like… to have a mind of my own." His voice was soft and slightly slurred from blood loss. Rin bent anxiously over him, looking into his calm features. They were nothing like the crazed wrath of before.

"Rin, get away from him! He might snap and kill you, you can't-" Inuyasha cried, waving her toward himself.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry." Inuyasha cut off in a dead silence. Sesshomaru? _Apologizing? _"I couldn't have killed you anyway. My vow stops me from doing that."

"What the hell? If you wanted to be rid of me that badly, why not just let Naraku kill me, and then kill him?" Inuyasha asked, crouching down beside Rin.

"Couldn't have." His voice was growing fainter. "I promised to protect you. That was the vow. And Rin was here… if you had died, I may have killed her by accident." Inuyasha made no reply. "Rin," Sesshomaru's voice was soft but clear, the slurring and dizziness lifting for a moment, "Rin, do you hate me?"

"No. I could never hate you after this…" She replied in a whisper. Her hands were sticky with both his blood and her own, but she disregarded this as she wiped a tear from her face.

"That's… good." Sesshomaru murmured his eyes drooped closed. He smiled for the first time, and Rin felt as though a hand were crushing her heart. She had wanted him to smile, but not like _this!_

"Sesshomaru!" she wept, listening to his breaths becoming more spaced out, simply waiting for them to stop completely.

"Rin, move please." Inuyasha commanded quietly. Rin looked at him, but complied. Inuyasha put and ear to Sesshomaru's chest, and oh-so-gently pushed two claws into one of the bullet wounds, drawing out the silver trajectory. Rin gasped and recoiled as he dropped it beside her with a sharp _clink_.

Inuyasha repeated the action with all of the wounds, his hands and shirt more thoroughly drenched in blood than before. Rin simply stared as the boy scooped up his half-brother in a fireman style hold and began descending the stairs from the tower to the ground floor. Sesshomaru's head lolled limply on Inuyasha's shoulder as the boy carried him on his back. After a moment Inuyasha turned around to look at her.

"What the hell are you waiting for, an invitation?" he called, panting slightly with his brothers' weight. "We need to get the bastard to a hospital, and I don't have a phone." Rin squeaked and scurried after him, anxious not to get left behind.

Not by Inuyasha in the tower, and not by Sesshomaru in life.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: LASSSST CHAPPPPTERRRR! **

**Thank you all so much for hanging in there with me all this time, and I will let you know, I made 100 reviews with this story. Thank you all so much and I hope you enjoy the end.**

Sesshomaru opened his eyes groggily, feeling as though he had simultaneously been given acupuncture by a sugar high six year old, been hit by a bus, and whacked over the head with an iron skillet.

"Aw dammit…" he muttered, trying to reach up and rub his pounding head. He found then that there was an IV stuck in his arm. And a breathing mask over his mouth and nose.

"What the freakin' hell." He growled angrily, ripping the mask off his face. He really hated anything that covered his face. It reminded him of Naraku.

He tried to sit up, intent on getting out of this place that reeked of blood and antiseptic mingled with an unnatural cleanliness. He loosed a stream of curses as he fell back onto his pillows. Oh, right. He'd been shot… six times or more. He couldn't remember.

Everything was a blur after that first shot, a blinding impression of pain like the fires of hell, a brief flash of sick satisfaction, and then a wave of fury so strong it made him physically ill.

The next thing he remembered was Rin's face, and asking her if she hated him. He couldn't recall her answer, only that he had smiled when she replied. He had been happy.

He hissed bitterly and reached up to finger his choker. It must still be there, he could still feel the throbbing ache of the nasty thing's spikes in his flesh. His hand came in contact with nothing but rough bandages. He poked around under the dressings, finding only flesh and blood. No metal.

It was gone. Gone.

Sesshomaru started laughing. He couldn't help it; the sound came spilling out of his mouth of its own accord. Free. Free at last.

"Freedom." He whispered to himself, savoring the word, tasting each letter on his tongue before laughing again.

"Oh sweet Lord, the bastard has lost his marbles." Came a voice from Sesshomaru's left. He stopped laughing to see Inuyasha seated on a hospital bed next to him with his torso wrapped in gauze, still wearing his cargo pants from before, but missing his shirt.

"Oh shut the hell up why don't you?" Sesshomaru replied with a hearty smirk still on his face. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder.

"Oy Rin, ya hear this? Bastard's awake!" The curtain behind Inuyasha flew open to reveal Rin's eager face, tying her hospital gown behind her as fast as she could. Sesshomaru looked at her in confusion, then back at Inuyasha.

"Why's she here? What happened to her?"

Inuyasha gave him and odd look. "Well, you kind of ripped off a chunk of her _arm_ you freak." Sesshomaru quieted suddenly, and Inuyasha stared at him. "Uh hey, if the whole 'freak' comment pissed you off that much, I'm sorry, alright?"

"I don't remember." Sesshomaru said blankly.

"Huh?"

"I don't remember what happened. I… hurt Rin?" Sesshomaru's voice was pained now, sounding like he wanted to go jump off a cliff.

"It's all right, it's not your fault!" Rin piped, scampering over to his bed in her bare feet. "You did more good than harm, and my arm will heal, no permanent damage done." She smiled at him, and he lowered his eyes from her face.

"I'm sorry Rin." He mumbled. She sighed, and sat on his bed, taking his chin in her hand and forcing him to look at her.

"I said it's fine. I meant it, so there's no need to beat yourself up over it, alright?" She asked sympathetically. Sesshomaru nodded, and she released his face.

"What now?" Sesshomaru asked. "There are still cops to contend with… if they put me on the death row, I'll comply."

"Already taken care of!" Rin sang.

"Yup." Inuyasha broke in, "Rin had the forethought to bring that weird collar-snake-thingy with us. She explained everything about how it was controlling you and making you go crazy and stuff, so they let you off. You're still a bastard to me though!" (**A/N: I did some research, and in real life, Sesshy would be put on death row. But this is a fic, and I can do whatever I want, so Sessh is not gonna die.**)

"And you will always be an abomination in my eyes. Your point?" Sesshomaru asked stiffly. To be honest, he was a little overwhelmed with the sudden turn of events. Inuyasha rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"Whatever. You have worse mood swings than Kagome." His ears suddenly pricked up and he grinned hugely. "Speaking of Kagome…. Later bastard and Rin!" He scampered out the door, looking like a puppy whose master has come home. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, perhaps a bit jealous of his brother's ability to show emotion so easily.

"He certainly seems happy to have Kagome visit." Rin commented lightly.

"Hn." Sesshomaru grunted in reply. Rin looked at him.

"You're not still upset about my arm, are you?" She asked with mock severity.

"No." Sesshomaru replied shortly. He was really, but that wasn't why he was being so short.

"What's wrong than?" Rin queried. "Do your wounds hurt?"

"No." Sesshomaru said again, staring up at her anxious face. He was trying to find the words to say what he wanted to without sounding like an idiot.

"Well?" she cried after he sat there staring at her for a few minutes.

"Rin…. I…" Sesshomaru stopped with a sigh. "Can you ever trust me again?"

"Well… I guess so. It won't be the same as before, but I know you tried. You really did." She answered softly.

"I see…" he murmured, "Rin, I'm just going to come out and say it, but whether or not you accept it is your problem."

"Huh?"

"I love you."

"Haaaaaaah?" she nearly fell off of his bed in absolute shock. Sesshomaru grabbed her wrist to stop her from hitting the tile as she scrambled back up to the hard bed. "I didn't think you'd be so _open_ about it!"

"About my feelings for you? I can say it again if you like." He said in his low monotone.

"No, it's all right. If you can say it, so can I!" Rin sucked in a deep breath, puffing up her chest. "I love you Sesshomaru!"

"Glad to hear it." Sesshomaru said with a smile that showed off his ultra-white fangs. Rin gasped in astonishment. "What?" Sesshomaru asked nervously.

"S-smile! You smiled!"

"Well, I was laughing earlier wasn't I?"

"Well _yeah_, I think the people two floors down could have heard _that _but this is the first time you've smiled at _me!_" Rin cried ecstatically.

"Erm…. Riiiiiight…" Sesshomaru drawled, looking at her like she was a nut case. She bopped him lightly on his uninjured arm.

"You shut up." She joked. He leaned in closely.

"Sure. Only if you shut up too though." He murmured. Rin closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his with gentleness nearly unsurpassable. The door suddenly slammed open to admit Miroku, Sango, Ayame, Kagome and Inuyasha.

"AHA! I _KNEW _IT!" Kagome screamed triumphantly. "I _knew _you two were dating!"

"We are as of now, yes." Sesshomaru replied smoothly as Rin covered her face with her hands to hide her furious blush at being seen by her friends like that. "What's wrong?" Sesshomaru queried, "No need to hide your beautiful face."

"Oh stop it!" Rin cried, her voice muffled by her hands. "You're making me turn the same color as a sunburned lobster! You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?"

Sesshomaru started laughing even more loudly than before. Ayame and Kagome each jumped about a foot in the air. Miroku used that to try and look up Kagome's skirt, and immediately got punched by Inuyasha.

"What?" Sesshomaru asked with an amused glint in his eyes, "Didn't think I had a sense of humor?"

"Wha….wha….wha….!" Ayame stuttered.

"Th-that's not natural!" Kagome yelped.

"You're right," Inuyasha interjected, "It's not! He's laughed twice in one day… more than he usually does in ten years! I think one of those bullets may have knocked something loose in his head!"

"Hmmmm…. I think it may have something more to do with… Rin?" Miroku guessed. The stunned look on Sesshomaru's face was proof enough for him, and he grinned slyly. "I bet if our group had come any later…. Sesshomaru and Rin may have ended up doing 'things' in this hospital room! Eh? Eh?"

"Get the hell out of here you dirty pervert." Sesshomaru commanded while pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance and pointing to the door.

"You know I'm r~ight!" Miroku sang joyfully.

"Shut up, bastard." Sesshomaru growled, eyes flashing momentarily red.

"Oh…. Touchy, touchy…"

"Really Miroku, don't push your luck. He's in a bad mood because his wounds still hurt, and you making him blush like that is just gunna piss him off." Inuyasha said. Rin laughed to herself as the color on Sessomaru's cheeks deepened by a couple of shades.

"You-!" Sesshomaru cried, stretching as far as possible to try and swipe his brother with his claws, swing erratically with one hand. "Gah, whatever." He mumbled, giving up and leaning back on his bed again. He looked around at his bedside table for a moment before asking, "Anyone got a Sudoku on them?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Sesshomaru!" Rin sang, several weeks later, as the boy in question walked up to her in front of the school, now completely healed. He would bear the scars of the collar for a while yet, but they seemed to be reminders of a nightmare rather than reality now.

"Rin." Sesshomaru greeted, bending down to kiss her gently. A group of girls passing by squealed, and Sesshomaru shot them a look through the corner of his eye. Rin blushed furiously. She hated it when people made a big deal out of things like this! Sesshomaru tilted her chin with his fingers, searching her face.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed." He commented lightly. This just proved to make Rin more self-conscious.

"And you're annoying when you make me _more _embarrassed." She rebuked. Sesshomaru smirked.

"You know you love me." He said boldly, taking her hand and beginning to walk up the stairs.

"There's no denying that by any stretch…" Rin sighed, making Sesshomaru chuckle lightly.

Rin was nearly in shock. At one time she had thought,_ 'But obviously I'm human_, _and any relationship between he and I would be one of contempt at the most. He's a powerful demon, and what am I? I'm short, A-cup little girl with black hair and brown eyes. Absolutely _nothing _to make me stand out.'_

But now this dark eyed, dark haired, A-cup little girl had a relationship that was on the opposite end of the spectrum from 'contempt' with the demon.

Love. That was all she felt toward him. And that was all that he felt toward her. Sure they had their little tiffs now and then, but it would have been weird if they hadn't.

Sesshomaru smiled at his shorter companion, happy for the first time in years.

He had forgotten what that warm feeling had felt like.

His heart throbbed with emotion as he reveled in his freedom. Well, relative freedom. He still had to protect Inuyasha, but that wasn't really an issue anymore now that Naraku was gone.

Happiness. It was his now. No longer something to dream about as if it was of a bygone age.

Sesshomaru smiled at Rin again. With her by his side, he could take anything the world threw at him now.

And this was a fact.

**A/N: OHHHHHH-kay guys, that IS the end. I appreciate all of your reviews and sticking with me all this time (saying it again cause it's true)… And I should tell you, my next fic will be called 'Walking on the Stars' (Inu/Kag)… or I might start posting 'Mr. Sunshine'.(Sessh/Rin)**

**Um… If I post Walking on the Stars, there will be a contest involved… The first person to guess which book it is based off of will get to pick the next story I write! Is that maybe a bit conceited….?**

**Ah well… thanks again for reading, I love you all, and adios. XD**


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